Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Yorgos Lanthimos has developed his own style over the course of 4 previous films that one has to have some sense of what to expect when they purchase a ticket for his new film The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Surreal behaviour, macabre humor, and spurts of violence are all common in his films. Last year's The Lobster was a deliriously clever meditation on the rules of romance. In other words, his talent is without question.

This is part of what makes The Killing of a Sacred Deer frustrating. The film is often mesmerizing, in the same way footage of a car crash is. And yet, the film never materializes into a full story, never has a clear reason to exist.

Colin Farrell plays Steven, a heart surgeon who has a great family. His wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) is an ophthalmologist. His teen daughter and son seem to be successful in school. All of the surface appearances indicate a perfect family. However Lanthimos keeps peering in the details of their private lives. We see a strange sexual encounter between Steven and Anna where she pretends to be immobilized by anesthesia. Steven's world is as sterile as the operating theaters that are talked about but never seen.

Steven has, at some point prior the film's start, taken in college-aged Martin (Barry Keoghan) under his wing. We soon learn that Martin's father died while under Steven's knife. Steven refuses to take any blame for the operation's outcome but Martin has other plans. He soon pits Steven in a morbid game involving his family. I wouldn't want to spoil any further developments in the film's plot.

Lanthimos clearly pulls from Greek tragedy here but it's never clear what he wants to pull out of all this horror. His style is cold, droll and methodical. The camera often mimics the style of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, all tracking shots and hallways. The soundtrack keeps us unsettled and nervy. There is no doubt the film gets under one's skin but it's unclear what to make of all of it. Steven is a man given great responsibility as a surgeon and yet continuously refuses to take any, especially in the film's climax. The world Steven inhabits is often orderly and clinical and the situation Martin puts him in is illogical and messy. One would expect these sides to have an engaging back and forth and yet they never do.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is full of good performances, especially from Keoghan. It is also full of great style and some funny, black comedy. However the film has no payoff. I walked out of the theater feeling like I had to unpack the film to "get it." As I did, I ended up more frustrated than satisfied. Still, there is no denying the talent here.

3.5/5