Stars: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C Reilly, Siobhan Fallon, Ashley Gerasimovich, Jasper Newell
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Running time: 112 mins

THE testing plot documents the aftermath of a senseless high school massacre from the perspective of the teenage perpetrator’s guilt-stricken mother.

We sift, with mounting horror, through the fractured history of Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) and her sociopath son, Kevin (Ezra Miller).

While Eva clashes with the boy, including a confrontation that results in a visit to hospital, Kevin slyly wins the affections of his father Franklin (John C Reilly), thereby driving a wedge between the parents.

The arrival of baby sister Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich) introduces a new target for Kevin’s sick and twisted games, including a shocking episode with the family’s guinea pig and a close call with drain cleaner that Eva is convinced was no accident at all.

From the moment it premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay’s bravura adaptation of the award-winning novel by Lionel Shriver has been generating awards buzz.

In particular, Swinton’s fearless and emotionally wrought performance as a tormented matriarch is being tipped for Oscar consideration.