Kirk Honeycutt with the Hollywood Reporter writes, "With this film, Tilda Swinton establishes herself as the one to beat for best-actress honors at 2011 Cannes." And The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw says the movie is "a skin-peelingly intimate character study and a brilliantly nihilist, feminist parable" where Tilda Swinton "brings her A-game."

The Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan writes that "Kevin" "provides yet another showcase for the formidable acting skills of Tilda Swinton, who is on fire as a mother attempting to come to terms with her life after her son's part in a high school massacre."