After his last strange film, The Lobster (2015), director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with another very idiosyncratic film: The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
It is difficult to describe this film as it slides between genres, through mystery, psychological thriller, horror, and black comedy. Ultimately, I suspect I’d suggest ‘mystery-horror’, and still not be totally satisfied. What I can say is that regardless of genre or description, it is excellent and will make you think.
‘Dr Steven Murphy’ (Colin Farrell) is a highly successful cardiologist, married to ophthalmologist ‘Dr Anna Murphy’ (Nicole Kidman), and living in a rich suburb with their two children: ‘Kim’ (Raffey Cassidy – Allied, Tomorrowland) and ‘Bob’ (Sunny Suljic – The Unspoken). Everything seems perfect in their world, with both the parents and children enjoying all the privilege that success and wealth bring. Into this world comes ‘Martin’ (Barry Keoghan – Dunkirk, Mammal), who ‘Steven’ has taken under his wing, in a big brotherly kind of way. Living in a much less affluent part of town with his mother (Alicia Silverstone), ‘Martin’ obviously has none of the advantages in life that the Murphys enjoy, and initially we don’t know how they are connected. The relationship takes a sinister turn however with ‘Martin’ wanting to deliver a message of judgement and balance the scales after the death of his father. This all leads to ‘Steven’ having to make a horrific choice.
To say more than that would be to spoil the film and ruin what is a masterpiece of dark horror, as a family is torn to shreds. There are hints in the films trailer, but even those I’m refraining from mentioning, so as to add to the effect when you see the film!
The mood is quite oppressive and awkward from the start, with every character talking in a deadpan, almost clinical manner, yet also being quite open. Strange and sometimes taboo questions are asked and answered by most characters, giving a sense of directness, and almost honesty. While disconcerting at times, this also allows us to see more, and reveals more aspects of the relationships, while also pointedly showing the barely cloaked evasion of polite conversational norms.
The impact of the film is on many levels, with this examination of a functional, yet odd family, and the consequences of their past having an emotional and anxious heaviness. As a family, they’re normal, yet not ‘normal’ (as per societies prescribed definition), and demonstrate the wide variety of states that exist in families. Normal can mean many things. It could be you and your family, and there is nothing about these particular people that has made the situation more likely, aside from very specific decisions. We’re all flawed and vulnerable, and like most people, the failings have been covered up.
As well as family, there are also themes of justice, denial and guilt running through the film, and they are the primary drivers for many of the characters actions. There is also a sense of helplessness, that however rich or organized you are, your world can come tumbling down. Justice will prevail, and the sins of the Father will come back to haunt the whole family.
As the film progresses, tumble down it does, as the horror descends on the family and ‘Steven’ has to make the horrific and impossible choice hinted to by the title, a reference to the story of Agamemnon incurring the wrath of Artemis (as depicted in Sophocles’s Electra), where Agamemnon had to make a sacrifice.
It is in this second half of the film where the absurdity and surrealism really ramp up, and so does the tension. Desperation and panic fill the lives of the family, while ‘Martin’ sits by, watching the judgement being delivered. The denial and belief in one’s own infallibility come to the fore, especially for ‘Steven’ who claims “a surgeon never kills a patient, an anaesthesiologist can, but a surgeon never can”, while his friend ‘Matthew’ (Bill Camp – Gold, The Night Of), an anaesthesiologist claims the opposite. There’s a huge loss of control and any logic the family cling to, sending them into a downward spiral they don’t really understand, towards a dramatic and shocking conclusion.
Some things in this film go unexplained and there will be a desire to try to make sense of it all, but the best thing to do is just relax and let its world pull you in. It is never explained, for instance, quite how the family becomes affected by ‘Martin’, and the mechanics of that are forever mysterious. It just isn’t important though, and there are more critical lessons to learn, much like the Murphys themselves.
What can’t be understated is that the performances are brilliant throughout. Barry Keoghan is a real star here, giving a nuanced character some real depth and punch, displaying an apparent simpleness at times, but also deep sinister tones. Similarly, Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman show great skill in revealing the anguish and tortured sides of their characters, as well as the more composed generic sides in their family life. As it all unravels for instance, ‘Anna’ finds it harder and harder to support her husband’s denial, and control begins to slip, which Kidman displays perfectly.
This is a spellbinding experience of a film and this is aided by a fantastic soundscape of noises and music that add to the bizarre and wonderful world. Both visually and sonically, it is a lavish, well-crafted affair, which impresses greatly.
From the opening shot of a beating human heart in an open chest, you will be catapulted and enveloped into a raw, unsettling, tale of dread and revenge. It’s uncomfortable, but very rewarding, and will leave you with many questions. In many ways, that is what the best cinema does.
