The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) Directed by
8C
Steven (Colin Farrel), a very successful surgeon, befriends Martin (Barry Keoghan), a young teenage boy. Steven allows Martin to visit him at the hospital and even gives him a very expensive watch. Steven's wife, Anna (Nicole Kidman) knows nothing about this relationship and Steven doesn't want her to find out. But there is more going on in this relationship than immediately meets the eye. I'm not even going to hint at what that "more" is, but I will say that your first guess will be wrong, and as for your second guess, don't even bother trying. For about a half hour I wasn't very impressed with this movie. Yes, the characters were a little oddball, saying polite things mixed with whatever popped into their head, but I couldn't see what all the excitement was about. Then the movie takes a very sharp turn into virtually fathomless waters. A relationship develops between Martin and the entire family that has the kind of potential consequences that can still shock an audience.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is hard to characterize. One could call the film a pitch black absurdist comic drama, but that doesn't take into account the degree of narrative cruelty that will be hard for some to take. Once the first half hour got out of the way. I found the film beautifully made and absolutely riveting to watch. By far Lanthimos' best movie since
Dogtooth,
The Killing of a Sacred Deer will leave the audience in a similar state of shock. I wouldn't call Lanthimos a sick puppy, but the dude really knows how to push people's envelopes. Be forewarned, this one is off the beaten path. But a hell of a lot of fun if it hits an audience in the right mood.
Top Ten of '17 so far
The Death of Louis XIV, Serra, Spain/France
Loveless, Zyvgintsev, Russia
The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos, Irelan/US
After the Storm, Koreeda, Japan
Get Out, Peel, US
Valley of Shadows, Gulbrandsen, Norway
Staying Vertical, Guiraudie, France
Our Time Will Come, Hui, Hong Kong
Graduation, Mungiu, Romania
Wind River, Sheridan, US