The Killing Of The Sacred Deer is a surreal and unnerving indie film that poses the most heartbreaking choice that a parent could have to make. This choice is wrapped around a film that is well shot and awkwardly funny at times. It is another masterpiece from Yorgos Lanthimos. Farda Eon, a parent of two gives his review of the film.

The killing of the sacred deer is described as a psychological horror starring Colin Farrell who plays the role of a successful and brilliant surgeon named Steven. His wife Anna is loving, devoted, equally brilliant and played by Nicole Kidman. They have what appears to be the picture-perfect life. Great careers, lovely home, thriving albeit weird and left of centre sex life and 2 children whom they love – Son Bob and Daughter Kim. Bob is a rebellious pre-teen and Kim is a normal teen girl.





The movie’s score is a little too on the nose at times with cues to tell you when to pay attention or when something interesting is happening. This can come off a little cheesy at times. The dialogue in the movie takes some getting used to as many different characters utter statements that you just do not here in everyday conversation.

Everyone in the film is weird! They just blurt out bizarre things to strangers and even each other. They aren’t rude but they aren’t filtered either. Just look at this scene:

 The weird way that the characters communicate gives the movie an other-worldly tone at times, but I feel this is done deliberately in order to justify the strange premise particularly in regards to the way karma works in this fictional world.
Martin is a teenaged boy who becomes aquatinted with Steven and seemingly becomes obsessed with him but midway through the movie, his intentions become less clear. Martin’s character always had that feeling of ‘something is not quite right’. But as his true intentions come to pass, it becomes more obvious that he is no normal boy.
Later in the movie, Steven is forced by Martin to make a heartbreaking decision that every parent would dread. It’s the making of this decision that carries the latter and more intriguing aspects of the movie.
I watched this movie with my partner and we discussed the dilemma that Steven was placed in, it was hard not to be parents of boys and girls ourselves (you’ll understand when you see the movie). It is the kind of choice that would haunt a family forever. The kind of choice that would drive a parent insane.
The killing of a sacred of those movies that are hard to describe without giving the plot away.
I would compare it to “Get Out“,”Memento” or even “Burn After Reading” in that it’s difficult to predict what happens next and many of the implications in the film are thought provoking and stick with you for some time after.
Bizarre but entertaining like watching a cat chase a laser up a wall.

3 1/2 out of 5

By

Farda Eon