Certification. 15
Director. Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast. Raffey Cassidy, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone, Sunny Suljic.
Rating. 59%
More than a week has passed since I watched Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and I still don't know what to make of it. The film left me confused, yet fascinated. I could have easily switched off the film after 20 mins, but I didn't. How come? Was The Killing Of A Sacred Deer enjoyable? I'd routinely rather not watch children, numb to the waist, roll out of bed or crawl helplessly down a flight of stairs. In the end, I guess I was intrigued, perhaps even gripped?
The film leans heavily on Greek mythology, in particular, Euripides' play Iphigenia in Aulis. According to legend, Agamemnon slaughtered a deer in the sacred grove of Artemis, hence the film's title. So enraged was Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, chastity and childbirth, that her retribution required a harrowing and horrific sacrifice of its own. Lanthimos acknowledges the source material in the film, when a high school principal reveals that one of the children wrote an essay on Iphigenia.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer sees Colin Farrell portray Steven, a heart surgeon alongside Nicole Kidman, as his ophthalmologist wife, Anna. The couple have two children - a teenage daughter, Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and a younger child, Bob (Sunny Suljic). But all is not well in this suburban setup. A darkness is approaching. A darkness in the form of Martin (a mesmeric Barry Keoghan). A brusque Colin Farrell ensures there's an underlying moral cowardice to a character faced with such an impossible decision. He is ably supported by an acquiescent Nicole Kidman. But it is Barry Keogan that impresses most and he manages to create a painfully intense character both equally innocent and malevolent.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is not a traditional horror film. Cinematographer, Thimios Bakatakis ensures a sense of dread with low-angle glides through hospital corridors. Indeed, not since The Shining have hallways corridors felt so menacing and malicious. Set pieces are routinely viewed from a distance, often from lofty elevations. There is a deliberate, detached, monotonous delivery of mundane dialogue from all of the characters. This results in distance. The camera is never under the skin of the characters. As a result, it is difficult to invest in characters who display little emotion.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is an uncomfortable, yet enthralling watch. The film is heartless, sterile, chilling, and, at times annoying. It remains a film I'm undecided upon. Do I love it or hate it? I'm still unsure.
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