I happened to watch this movie the morning of July 4, 2022, the day of another mass shooting in the United States, perpetrated by an individual barely out of his teens. This is a somewhat self-conscious (the opening sequence involving the tomato party) examination of unwanted pregnancy and the raising of a psychopath, and the parents both being oblivious to what their son is becoming...oblivious in different ways. In the making-of documentary on the BluRay, Tilda Swinton (who is astounding as the mother) mentions the movie is in a way a continuation of Rosemary's Baby. What if the mother raises a child who was truly Satan spawn? That is one possible explanation of Kevin's behavior, but this movie is no "Omen" knock off. Satan and religion are not even mentioned. The child was simply born troubled and having a mother who didn't want to child in the first place certainly does not improve the situation.
The movie climaxes with an event you would expect, given the subject matter, but the build up along the way, employing a lot of flashbacks (and some flash forwards), is effective. John C. Reilly, in a serious role as the clueless dad (Kevin is always loving and respectful of his dad), is almost as good but is not onscreen as much as Swinton, who employs the detached mannerisms she's brought to other movies frighteningly well. A movie full of haunting images that you will not soon forget.
The movie climaxes with an event you would expect, given the subject matter, but the build up along the way, employing a lot of flashbacks (and some flash forwards), is effective. John C. Reilly, in a serious role as the clueless dad (Kevin is always loving and respectful of his dad), is almost as good but is not onscreen as much as Swinton, who employs the detached mannerisms she's brought to other movies frighteningly well. A movie full of haunting images that you will not soon forget.