Colorado is no stranger to the physical and psychological devastation wreaked by school shootings. While I've read the articles and been glued to the TV as the tragedies have unfolded, I've never been as unsettled as I was watching We Need to Talk About Kevin (watch the trailer), which screened during the Starz Denver Film Festival.

Told from the perspective of a mother, Eva (played flawlessly by Tilda Swinton), the film delves into her contentious relationship with her son (a tour de force performance from Californication's Ezra Miller)—a relationship, the audience is left to ponder, that may have led him to a devastating act. While the majority of the violence takes place off screen, this psychological thriller's exploration of nature versus nurture was disturbing in its frankness. As the movie jumps from past to present and back again—and Eva faces her grief and guilt—the audience is left wondering what happens after the credits roll. 

Based on the book by Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin opens nationwide this month.

Correction: According to the film's official website, We Need to Talk About Kevin will be out on DVD and Blu-ray February 27. If you still want to catch it in theaters, it's playing at Esquire Theatre starting March 30.

—Photo courtesy of Starz Denver Film Festival