Directed by:
Yorgos LanthimosCinematography:
Thimios BakatakisCast:
Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp, Anita Farmer Bergman, Denise Dal VeraVOD (5)
Plots(1)
Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a successful cardiac surgeon who lives a happy life with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two children Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and Bob (Sunny Suljic). However, his perfect life starts coming apart at the seams after he befriends 16-year-old Martin (Barry Keoghan). Steven spends much of his time hanging out alone with the teenager and also invites him round to his upper-class home to socialise with his kids. However, when Steven visits Martin and his mother (Alicia Silverstone) for dinner, the teenager's motives for their unusual friendship become clear and it transpires he's willing to go to great lengths to get what he wants, to the detriment of Steven and his family. (Curzon Artificial Eye)
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Reviews (10)
After his weird period, Lanthimos activated internal Greek fate and combined residential horror and ancient tragedy with Efthymis Filippou. A camera that hovers over the heroes like a vicious threat, unmistakably mechanical acting, demonic Barry Keoghan and a morally borderline second half that is the cruelest (and least satirical) of all Lanthimos's films. What used to come from within strange communities is now incomprehensibly imposed on the heroes from above. The unraveling and meaning of this brutal clinical version of Sophie's Choice will probably be discussed at length - the fact remains that the tone and depressing atmosphere make The Killing of a Sacred Deer a real horror. Trier with an acute attack of sociopathy.
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What drew me to watch the film was the cast. The bearded Colin Farrell was almost unrecognizable, only his eyes gave him away, and Nicole Kidman appeared slightly older, although her youthful charm couldn't be denied. It is the story of a cardiac surgeon who made a mistake during an operation in the past, which led to the death of a patient, whose son is now seeking revenge. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. However, you have the option to choose: sacrifice one of your children or your wife for the death of my father. Although it was somewhat cold and emotionally devoid in terms of acting, it was brilliantly filmed. I was fascinated by the eerily disturbing music that crept through the plot and greatly enhanced the depressing mood of the film. Barry Keoghan, playing the vengeful teenage son, portrayed his role so repulsively that I swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. (75%)
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A wonderfully and amusingly strange film that will be appreciated especially by lovers of plenty of black humor and unusual films with crazy plots. For anyone who has already had the honor of watching Lanthimos’s films, this is simply another of his original and imaginative satirical images of human society, governed by absurd rules and funny-freezing cultural habits, and their creator does not need to explain in any way. Bizarre art. The best in Lanthimos's filmography so far (for me).
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The end of the year is approaching and soon I'll be sharing my top picks, which will definitely include the oddity called The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The film is definitely not for everyone and is similarly controversial to the recent Mother!, but Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos definitely has talent (his previous films Dogtooth and The Lobster are also weird). The film is very disturbing from the start and we get the sense that something is not right. The dialogue and the actors' strangely theatrical speech is already odd but effective, and from the main twist onwards the film takes a decent turn and at times is not pleasant to watch. If you have kids you'll sympathise with the main character even more. Anxiety, unease, chills, breathtaking moments, impressive performances, bold dialogue and decent technical aspects make The Killing of a Sacred Deer a unique affair that despite its artsy form surprisingly suited and entertained me a lot. For me, a great recommendation, but I can understand the negative reviews. Naked Nicole Kidman is still gorgeous. 80%.
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I first came across Yorgos Lanthimos's work through The Favourite, and since I was intrigued by his distinctive (and somewhat twisted) directorial style, I decided to watch one of his earlier pieces. In terms of building up an uncomfortable atmosphere and the truly unnatural direction of the actors and odd camera amgñes, The Killing of a Sacred Deer highlights the director's unique aesthetic. However, while I didn't mind this style with The Favourite, and in fact found it suited to the historically distant time period, I wasn't as hooked in the case of Deer. The film builds on a very bizarre plot, which on the one hand feels offbeat and creepy, but on the other is just too weird for my taste. Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell give convincing and strong performances, but in the case of the child actors I have to be critical, especially because of the robotic (which may have been the point) acting of Raffey Cassidy. Barry Keoghan is a chapter unto himself. I first saw him in Dunkirk and found him incredibly unlikeable, and I was seriously indifferent to his fate. I also found him unlikeable here, but in this case it added to a deeper appreciation of his character. The final ten minutes were very powerful and uncomfortable to watch, no question about it. The film is somewhere between two and three stars for me. I'll give it a thumbs up for now, but it's quite possible that I'll reconsider my opinion in time.
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