Film Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer is one of the stronger, if not the strongest, films that premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Everything from the superb acting, to the mysterious advertising, to the shocking plot made this film an unstoppable one.  The film isn’t one to watch over and over, but is one that leaves the audience speechless during the one time they do choose to watch it.

The family (Farrell, Kidman, Cassidy, Suljic) faces an unbelievable decision that they spend most of the movie dancing around. Kidman’s skills shine as she continues to play the typical mother role despite her world crashing down around her. In one scene in particular, she is told her husband has been flirting with another woman. Later in the scene she is with Farrell discussing the health of their children; she throws in a jealous comment about him potentially being happier with “Martin’s mom.” The stress she is facing is obvious in her weaning facial expression, but she still has that spark of fire when she is told her husband could be wronging her. The character is as realistic as it gets; she balances keeping her children well while having realistic expectations of her husband’s behavior.

The daughter of the family (Cassidy) just wants a boyfriend that likes her. Despite the fact that her boyfriend is the causing her to lose her health, she still begs to be in his good graces. The performance by Cassidy was also a realistic one that plays into the stereotype that many young girls fall into. Very often in relationships, the one hurting them is the one they continuously try to impress. Cassidy’s character continuously begs Martin (Keoghan) to heal her so they can run away together. She is indifferent to her family’s outcome, and just wants to be in love.

Another actor that gave an incredible performance is the said boyfriend (Keoghan). The progression of his character from odd and meek to controlling and powerful was amazingly smooth. The audience was able to watch him slowly become more forceful about the outcome he wanted for Farrell and his family members through his tone change. It should be noted the character never raises his voice, but still manages to be a threat that evokes fear whenever he speaks during the second half of the film. In the scene when he informs Farrell of the probable outcome for his family, he is a bit more forceful with his tone, but he is also eating an ice cream cone while he explains it. Throughout the film, he invites Farrell over to his home or out to the diner. Whenever Farrell says he can’t make it, Martin calmly encourages him to still come. More often than not, Farrell always showed up.

The advertising for The Killing of a Sacred Deer was unusual. There was virtually no information on the film prior to its release at the festival. The one sheets for the film consisted of a shot of Farrell staring at two empty hospital beds, and another shot of Farrell walking up the stairs in a dark house. After seeing the film the audience realizes that these posters say a lot, but before the film they seem vague and are a mystery. The release of little information worked well for this film, but the tactic wouldn’t work well with every film. Lanthimos’ has clearly perfected the technique with his wild plotlines. The films themselves are a mystery with unexpected twists and turns being unfolded as you watch, so for the posters to be the same is appropriate.

The plotline for the film is a crazy, shocking one. However, it can also be called typical when compared with other Lanthismos works such as The Lobster. He always manages to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, wondering what on earth could happen next. The Killing of a Sacred Deer was no exception to the rule and kept the audience captivated throughout. Lanthimos isn’t afraid to take the unpopular decisional path in his works, which helps separate them from many others. A happy ending without a plot is nothing, but a well-developed plot without a happy ending can still be exceptional.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is set to be released in theaters in early November 2017. It is currently in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Writer: Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Producers: Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrew Lowe

Executive Producers: Nicki Hattingh, Sam Lavender, Amit Pandya, Anne Sheehan

Main Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, Barry Keoghan, Sunny Suljic

Running Time: 109 minutes