Killing of a Sacred Deer
- Aymen Saqib
- Dec 14, 2017
- 2 min read
Rating: 7/10
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring
Colin Farrell as Dr. Steven Murphy
Nicole Kidman as Anna Murphy
Barry Keoghan as Martin
Raffey Cassidy as Kim
Sunny Suljic as Bob
Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Killing of a Sacred Deer is a cynical take on humanity which is at once both hard to watch and hard to take your eyes off of. The part horror part black comedy depicts a loathsome universe populated by characters that lack compassion, refuse to take responsibility and believe in ferocious eye for an eye justice.
Twisted humor is implicit in the subtle formality with which the characters mention menstruation, armpit hair and masturbation. But this is as humorous as it gets. Soon it turns into a nightmare from which you’re desperate to awaken. To say it’s a screenplay about vengeance would be criminal as Lanthimos’ creation is nothing like your regular revenge thriller.
Dr Steven Murphy is a successful Cardiologist with a beautiful ophthalmologist wife Anna, two teenage kids, Kim and Bob, an enormous house and a ridiculous amount of money to spend on ridiculously expensive timepieces. Presumably that’s all that a man would want from life but then why is Steven suspiciously meeting up with the eerie and clingy teenager, Martin?
Strangely, one day Bob loses the ability to move his arms and legs, as does his sister. With no medical explanation for Bob and Kim’s condition, doctors are speechless. Is it because of the recent relationship that the Murphy’s developed with Martin? Underneath the veneer of vulnerability, does Martin possess dark supernatural abilities? If so, why is he inflicting the Murphy’s with his murderous vendetta? This revenge driven, paranormally horrifying, psychological thriller is enough to keep anyone guessing. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
Overall Deer has solid performances. In the spotlight however is newcomer Barry Keoghan of Dunkirk fame who, as he peels off the mask of his rationality, escalates the movie to its exhilarating finale. This perplexed and vengeful teen is wary and lonesome one instant and diabolical the very next. It’s a delight to watch.
Farrell and Kidman deliver exquisite chemistry on screen. Uprooted from on screen Hollywood origins, they are allowed to explore and unlock something sinister within them which is both horrifying and alluring. This movie is certainly an oddity. Can it become too unusual for its own good, perhaps too cringe inducing? Maybe, but it’s not meant to be everyone’s cup of tea. Killing of a Sacred Deer is a lot like the peculiar role play game “general aesthetics” that the couple in the film seem to enjoy playing. I daren’t say - witness the strangeness for yourself.
If you liked The killing of a Sacred Deer, then you should also watch Dogtooth (perhaps with English subtitles if you aren’t fluent in Greek) which is about three teenagers who are held captive in their own house by their father which leads them to a series of eerie doings. It is drenched in Lanthimos’ typical dark-humor yet cringe-inducing style.
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