The Killing of a Sacred Deer is yet another reason why A24 is one of the best film studios in the world, independent or not.
Two years after directing The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos returns to bring us one of 2017’s best films. Working again with Lanthimos, Colin Farrell gives another dead-pan, emotionless performance, which plays perfectly in this slow-burn dissent into horror alongside Nicole Kidman. But it’s Barry Keoghan (last seen in this summer’s Dunkirk) who steals the show with uncomfortable tension building acting and probably the best spaghetti-eating scene in any film (Sorry Gummo). I’m a fan.
The films starts strong: a close-up of an open-chest heart surgery, slowly panning back as the viewer takes in the gruesome detail on the big screen, the heart beating hypnotically. This methodical slowness of the camera pulling away is a set-up for what’s about to unfold.
Farrell plays Dr. Steven Murphy a cardiovascular surgeon who lives with his wife (Kidman) and two children, while also developing a … weird relationship with Martin (Keoghan) who lives alone with his mom. Martin begins to become a part of the Murphy family, with the film slowly building to the reason why Murphy has given such attention to Martin. It gets even darker when an unknown medical sickness takes hold of the children, sending the parents down a treacherous, horrible path.
This film is slow, grinding through a nightmare that it feels you may never wake from. It’s a cold film, filled with characters talking without emotion, in a film wrapped in emotion.
But don’t expect any true answers … just go along for the ride, slowly realizing you are going to have a strong opinion after the lights come up, reminding me in no small way of Aronofsky’s Mother!
Lanthimos has crafted a film that is Kubrick-esque, mixed with Hitchcock, a movie I couldn’t stop thinking or texting friends about. If The Lobster was considered a drama mixed with a comedy, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a drama sprinkled with horror. It is a bleak film with outstanding performances, solid direction and beautiful cinematography.
Yorgos Lanthimos is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern film-directors and can’t wait to see what he does next.
Rating:
Some observations:
- Things come in threes
- “I won’t let you leave until you’ve tasted my tart.”
- Time
- Lemonade
- Masturbation
- I don’t know the last time I heard someone say mp3 player. I’m pretty sure it’s brought up three times in this film.
- Everyone talks / acts like an adult in this film, including the children. It’s like they are all on the same baseline and understand what must happen.
