Blu-Ray Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, and Bill Camp.
Directed by:  Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by: Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou

I live in a constant state of being “blissfully uncomfortable” when it comes to certain films, especially films bring the arthouse style in a way that I’ve never seen before. If you think “blissfully uncomfortable” is a bad term, it isn’t. My little definition of it is when you watch a movie with your eyes wide open. You’re screaming “what the actual fuck is happening” while trying hard to figure out where the narrative is going. The Killing of a Sacred Deer left me in my state of being blissfully uncomfortable. The interweaving sociopath-ness of the story captures you like nothing else and leaves you in its grasp until the very in.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer revolves around Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), a cardiothoracic surgeon who has a really strange relationship with a teenage boy named Martin (Barry Keoghan). The two meet at a diner and a rooftop before Steven starts integrating his home life with Martin. He allows Martin into his home to meet his family, his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), his daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and his son Bob (Sunny Suljic). After the meeting, a medical mystery starts plaguing the family, tearing them apart at the seems.

Now, I can’t give away most of the movie because that will spoil the whole damn thing (trust me you don’t want that). This film is without a doubt one of the most unsettling, yet unnervingly beautiful things that you come to see. I had to get advice from Michael about what I was seeing and talking with him put a lot in perspective. (Shoutout to Michael for always putting up with me. Best assistant ever. <3) The Killing of a Sacred Deer truly keeps you on your toes but also very far away. Everything from the first few minutes up to the middle of the film feels… off.

Yorgos Lanthimos directs a story that keeps you at a distance. When watching, I felt so off. I know I keep referring to feeling “off” or “far away,” but that’s what this movie plays with so well. I didn’t know if it was just me who thought that this movie didn’t allow me inside. It didn’t allow me to get to know it as much as I wanted to. Lanthimos almost tells us to keep our distance. If we look closer, we might like what we find.

Thimios Bakatakis’ camera compliments this so well. He illuminates that message and allows the camera to be a floating embodiment. The camera doesn’t come in for close shots or medium shots unless we need to SEE emotions from the characters. However, they don’t fully show them. Their eyes tell us all we need to know.

The dialogue is the same. Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou write these characters who are also very completely detached from you. It’s jarring at first. When we spend time in the cinema, we always expect to connect with the characters on the screen. This writing does the opposite, it removes central parts of the story and places them like a mystery. We’re met with characters that say things without thinking, almost perfect and prim to a tee. It gets to be downright creepy but starts to unravel towards the middle of the movie when the second and third act blows these characters and narrative apart from your expectations.

I can give praise to the cast of this film all day long. Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman have a weird, but stellar chemistry that no one would expect. It’s disturbing and bothersome how well they fit together in the movie, but that makes them shine even more. Colin Farrell always tends to impress when it comes to jarring roles such as this. He gives his all to indie films and easily finds his niche in them. Nicole Kidman gives us her performance as an unemotional mother and wife on the edge of a nervous breakdown. That unemotional part just keeps her together as you start to see the cracks and tears.

The children, Raffey Cassidy and Sunny Suljic, will become some of the best actors ever. Mark my words. Raffey Cassidy looks just like Sophie Turner, but the girl holds her own and commands the screen. Sunny Suljic carries his own hypnotic presence on screen and will be one to watch for.

The highlight of this entire movie was the unpleasant everything that was Barry Keoghan. Holy sh*t. Keoghan not only killed it in this film but its such a slow build up for you to even remotely want to get comfortable with him. You don’t know what he’s doing to do. The blank stare that he has is almost hypnotic and doesn’t let you stop thinking for a second. You always want to know what he’s thinking and if you can figure him out. The chemistry he forms with Farrell, Kidman, Cassidy, and Suljic are all so strong, leading you to believe that nice things will happen, but they don’t… they just don’t. Keoghan is one of those actors that we will be talking about for a very long time.

Verdict: Watch It! The Killing of a Sacred Deer will leave you at a standstill. You won’t know if you love it or hate it. You’ll know when it leaves a strong, lingering effect on you. I would suggest before seeing this film you’ll want to watch The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos as well. It carries the same tone, but still completely different. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is something that you want to experience completely free of expectations and enjoy the ride.