[This review was originally written in October 2017 and is now being published that my internship is over. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.]
The Killing of a Sacred Deer opens with Dr. Steven Murphy performing an unsettling open-heart surgery. The patient dies, and it's not too soon afterwards that we're introduced to his son. The boy appears to approach the doctor out of nowhere, but it's soon revealed the two exchange gifts and Murphy has been going on walks with the boy. The nature of their relationship is shrouded in mystery at first, but the threads come undone and a more sinister plot unravels. Martin isn't just an average boy, he's an evil force seeking justice for the death of his father. Martin informs Dr. Murphy that he must kill either his wife or one of his two children, and if he doesn't then all three will slowly sicken and die.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who some may be familiar with as the director of last year's The Lobster. I haven't seen The Lobster yet myself, but if it's anything like The Killing of a Sacred Deer, I imagine it would be extremely unique and off-kilter. Lanthimos has made a horror film, but not in the traditional sense. The imagery in The Killing of a Sacred Deer is just as grotesque, but the unease is largely derived from the viewer's own psyche. In fact, it's quite brilliant how the paranoia creeps up on the viewer.
It's first established by the eerie dissonance that can be heard in the background (compliments of Johnnie Burn, Sarah Giles, and Nick Payne), which automatically generates a feeling of unease when combined with the detached cinematography (Thimios Bakatakis' fine work) and monotonous dialogue delivery. None of it feels right, and that's just what Lanthimos wants the viewer to be thinking. I'd find it difficult to imagine this will film will be embraced with open arms by general audiences. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see casual viewers skip out on the film entirely because it's simply too unusual. I don't really blame them because it's not meant for mass consumption anyways. However, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is probably one of the more interesting horror films I've seen all year because of its quirks.
The central conflict posed by Lanthimos and second screenwriter Efthymis Filippou is compelling because it's a choice that lingers. As an audience member, you know there inevitably has to be a resolution. You just don't know what it will be or when it will happen, and Lanthimos draws out the suspense for as long as possible. An unexpected element that I found quite fascinating was witnessing Dr. Murphy's rationale throughout the entire ordeal as he seemed to consider the strangest solutions. In the beginning, he believes the boy is bluffing, but the doctor starts to realize what he's dealing with once illness strikes his family members one-by-one. He weighs insignificant human attributes against one another, and resorts to the oddest authorities to dictate how he should proceed.
Almost every line of dialogue in The Killing of a Sacred Deer is spoken in deadpan, which is a precarious approach because it rarely pays off, but there are actors who are an exception to this rule. Thankfully for this film's case, the actors at Yorgos Lanthimos' disposal are more than up to the task. Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman seem to be on the same wavelength as Lanthimos and Filippou as they channel complexity with limited expression. Farrell plays Dr. Murphy as a man of science grappling with an outwards confidence that science offers a solution for everything and an inner cowardice in the face of something he can't understand or ever hope to control. It's exceptional how Farrell walks the tightrope. Kidman, on the other hand, is utterly remarkable at exhibiting a cold demeanor, bottling up Anna's anger like nobody's business. Her external vacant expressions are perfectly matched with an inner intensity.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer isn't exactly something I'd recommend someone to see, unless I knew for certain they would appreciate the artistry on display. The film is a psychological horror in the strongest sense, and definitely not something for the faint of heart. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a film that manages to be both insightful and perturbing, something I thought to be long lost to the studio system of pumping out an excess of ordinary horror every year.
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