The Birth of Mainstream Alternative
Yorgos Lanthimos delivers yet again in a stunningly blunt, agonizing, hullabaloo of total chaos. The Killing of a Sacred Deer delivers a metaphor that delivers the ending by just looking at the title – but this cosmos of uncertainty will keep you gripped in the arms of suspense and delivers a knockout blow so powerful it will leave you not on the ropes, but flat out on the canvas.
This is, in essence, an art film but with Colin Farrell (Steven Murphy) and Nicole Kidman (Anna Murphy) – both superb – it will almost certainly draw in a bigger audience. Kidman transitions into this role with ease. She is a joy to behold in her characters stubborn and pragmatic approach to life – an absolute natural. Farrell steals the show however with an immense and inexhaustible performance. The manner in which he portrays his characters blunt, questionable but almost (oddly) admirably nonchalant personality is a true high for him in his career. It’s worth mentioning that Barry Keoghan (Martin) is also superb here but just falls underneath Farrell and Kidman due to Martins one dimensional, but still brilliant, nature.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is dark, it is thrilling and it leaves you with questions more than fulfilment – but that surely adds to the mystique of Lanthimos’ work. The spectacle begins with Steven, a heart surgeon, and a teen named Martin (Barry Keoghan). Steven buys Martin am expensive watch – and that’s where the questions start. All sorts of darkness can run through one’s mind at this point, but that’s just the beginning. As this script unfolds it is laid bare that Steven once operated on Martin’s father whilst intoxicated, an operation that ended in Martins father’s death. Surgeon Murphy has a price to pay.
This is a progressive movie that will appease both the patient and the impatient among us. As the relationship between Steven and Martin becomes clearer, the murkier the rest gets. It all begins when Stevens son Bob (Sunny Suljic) suddenly loses the ability to walk. This is followed by daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy) whom has struck up a romantic relationship with Martin. After doctors run tests and can’t resolve the issues surrounding the children, Martin reveals to Steven that his kids and his wife will lose the ability to walk, they will then stop eating and finally, they will bleed from the eyes before this eventually results in death. How to stop it? Steven must kill one of them, of course. This is Steven paying his debt for the death of Martin’s father. Nothing will surprise you with this epic thriller.
The bluntness and blasé nature of Steven’s psyche will mystify you. ‘My daughter started menstruating last week,’ is a line he almost presents proudly to a colleague at a formal works function. This is a trait shared by Anna and it’s truly fascinating to watch how they show no emotion with nearly every topic they discuss being about human anatomy and biology. What is even more fascinating is the connection you begin to see with their more emotional thinking once the biology and anatomy of their children, or sacred deers, come under attack. This is a frankly brilliant combination of great directing, script and acting all blended into one to bring you a melting pot of emotion, confusion and elation. If you’re going to watch one movie this year that offers an alternative experience of the cinematic art form…make it this one.