Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two exemplary children, 12-year-old Bob (Sunny Suljic) and 14-year-old Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Barry Keoghan), a fatherless teen who Steven has covertly taken under his wing. As Martin begins insinuating himself into the family's life in ever-more unsettling displays, the full scope of his intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter the Murphy family's domestic bliss.

Storyline: After the untimely death of 16-year-old Martin's father on the operating table, little by little, a deep and empathetic bond begins to form between him and the respected cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Steven Murphy. At first, expensive gifts and then an invitation for dinner will soon earn the orphaned teenager the approval of Dr Steven's perfect family, even though right from the start, a vague, yet unnerving feeling overshadows Martin's honest intent. And then, unexpectedly, the idyllic family is smitten by a fierce and pitiless punishment, while at the same time, everything will start falling apart as the innocents have to suffer. In the end, as the sins of one burden the entire family, only an unimaginable and unendurable decision that demands a pure sacrifice can purge the soul. But to find catharsis, one must first admit the sin. Written by Nick Riganas

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, January 23, 2018 Note: Certain plot points which some may consider spoilers are well nigh impossible to avoid when discussing The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Those wary of such revelations are encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.

That may be about the only proper reaction to The Killing of a Sacred Deer whether you love the film or detest it. This latest film from co- writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos reunites him with his The Lobster star Colin Farrell in another patently bizarre tale that almost willfully defies description, or at least genre typing. If, as I mentioned in my The Lobster Blu-ray review, that film almost inevitably engendered a kind of "WTF" response in its tale of an aging populace forced to transform into other creatures, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is almost certain to provoke an even stronger reaction in its tale of what might have been called in the days of The Wolf Man "a gypsy curse". That completely weird plot point actually takes a while to be revealed, leaving several early interchanges between heart surgeon Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) and a young teenage boy named Martin (Barry Keoghan) without any context to help the viewer, something that, along with some really peculiar scoring choices, is seemingly intentionally designed to make people think there's some kind of illicit relationship going on between the two. And in fact there kind of is, though it isn't of the sexual variety. But before Lanthimos gets around to detailing why exactly Martin and Steven even have a relationship, there are other odd vignettes documenting Steven's seemingly perfect home life, which includes wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), and two children, Bob (Sunny Suljic) and Kim (Raffey Cassidy). I'm starting to almost think of Kidman as a sort of poster child for characters involved in some kind of kinky sex life, as evidenced first by Eyes Wide Shut and then last year's superb Big Little Lies , for Anna's foreplay with Steven is certainly going to raise a few eyebrows, at least among the more straightlaced in the audience.

Initially, it seems that if there isn't some kind of "NAMBLA" thing going on, that Steven might be some kind of "Big Brother" mentor for Martin, and in fact that's hinted at in some subsequent if still early scenes, where it's mentioned that Martin's father was killed in a bad car accident. Only later is it revealed that Martin's father actually died on an operating table where Steven was the surgeon, after the accident. Martin has decided that Steven is responsible for his father's death, and comes to Steven with a kind of ultimatum: Steven must kill one of his own family to balance the scales of justice (or at least what Martin perceives to be the scales of justice). If Steven doesn't comply, Martin calmly informs him that his loved ones will die according to a set series of symptoms that Martin himself is invoking courtesy of some kind of curse.

That's an intriguing enough premise as it is, but as with The Lobster, Lanthimos wants his surreality amped up as far as possible, and so a number of other elements begin intruding, especially after Bob loses control of his legs, the first symptom that Martin has alerted Steven about. Some might expect the film to exploit a kind of dialectic where a "rationalist" (i.e., Steven) has to come to terms with some kind of atavistic, inexplicably supernatural power that he can't control, with a "believer" (i.e., Anna, at least ultimately) arguing that the curse is real and needs to be respected as such. And indeed, Lanthimos does go there, but not in the way some might expect. Instead, there are a number of squirm inducing sidebars, including an attempted seduction of Steven by Martin's widowed mother (Alicia Silverstone). Later, after things go from bad to worse in Steven's increasingly fractured home life, and in what might be seen as a parallel character development to a similar "evolution" in Straw Dogs, the tamped down and emotionally distant Steven gets his rage on and kidnaps Martin, subjecting him to some truly terrifying scenes of torture.

But even aside from plot mechanics, The Killing of a Sacred Deer frequently goes to places that are seemingly intentionally designed to make people feel at the very least uncomfortable. Case in point: Steven attempts to engage Bob in a case of "confession" when he suspects that his son's symptoms are either a fake out or psychosomatic, and he launches into one of the most salacious and just plain disturbing anecdotes imaginable. It's a revelation that no sane father would ever think of sharing with his son, no matter what the situation, and it's just one sign of how daring, if also provocative, Lanthimos can be.

Without hopefully sounding like I'm gloating, as this review is being written the Academy Award nominations have been announced and I was pleased to see that the prediction I made in my The Big Sick Blu-ray review came true, with a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Kunail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. But here's the thing — I knew the nominations were coming this morning as I was watching The Killing of a Sacred Deer yesterday, and I wondered if by some chance Barry Keoghan would be able to eke out a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his truly astounding work in this film. Alas, that didn't happen, but I have to say for my money Keoghan's Martin is one of the most terrifying sociopaths I have ever seen portrayed on film, and the fact that the character almost has an almost developmentally disabled sweetness about him makes it all the more horrifying. It's an absolutely electric performance and it helps anchor the film when it has a tendency to wobble out of control.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is not "comfortable" viewing in any way, shape or form, and even Farrell in the supplementary featurette mentions how dark and disturbing the film is. Some friends of mine who saw the film before I did called it a black comedy, but I have to say I personally saw none of the whimsy that informed The Lobster in this film. But all of this said, kind of like The Lobster and probably even more so than with regard to that film, I kept wondering what Lanthimos' point was in all of this intense psychological turmoil. The film is positively dripping with mood, but I'm not sure what the actual meaning of anything was. If you like your viewing experiences absolutely visceral but, kind of like Steven confronting a curse, inexplicable, you may have found your next purchase.

I see that I've cited a maybe insane variety of films in the review above, but I'm about to do it again: what ultimately happens in The Killing of a Sacred Deer may recall a certain decision that is at the core of Sophie's Choice. I think it's a testament to Lanthimos' sensibilities as both a writer and director that despite the patent unreality of the entire plot and even presentational style of the film, there's real emotional impact when Steven has to make a choice of his own. Technical merits are strong, but approach this film with extreme caution if you're easily shocked or disturbed. Recommended.

[CSW] -3.5- This reviewer said it better than I could:
I felt compelled to write something up after reading so many awful reviews on IMDb. Foremost, this is surely not for everyone. It is beyond dark, often twisted. The character cadence is often stilted to add to the intentionally awkward vibe. After seeing The Lobster last year, I deemed it my favorite movie of the year. Lanthimos has carved out a style and delivery that is bound to be divisive. I kept finding myself detecting nods to Kubrick's shining in this film as well as the lobster. For me, Lanthimos' films shine in the often surreal dialogs and situations. This stuff is tough and weird satire. It also reminds me of some of the unreal phrases spewed from Daniel Day Lewis in the There Will be Blood -not to compare those films. Lanthimos also has a great eye for setting up his shots/scenes. The choice in score is the glue that punctuates in largely powerful ways. This film is harsh and cold but very well written. Like others have said, if you liked The Lobster, you'll likely appreciate this as well. If your idea of great cinema is the latest CGI-fest, superhero rehash, steer clear unless you're ready to expand your film appreciation skills into the true art realm.


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