Late Review: 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer'

What does every unique film have in common? This sounds like a trick question, or the beginning of a boring riddle even, but there is something in each film that makes its own. It can be the acting, the writing, or any of the production and post-production that takes a massive grip on the film and never lets go.

In the case of The Killing of a Sacred Deer, there is nothing that seems "standard" or "normal" about it.

Director/Co-writer Yorgos Lanthimos, as well as co-writer Efthymis Filippou, take their craft and form it into a well-tuned machine. They craft a story that reeks of old wives' tales or some crazy mythological folklore. To refrain from spoilers, the story revolves around a surgeon (played by Colin Farrell) and the son of a patient he accidentally killed. It follows the consequences that affect both the surgeon and his family after involving the young boy more into his personal life.

When oversimplifying the premise of the film, it sounds like any generic drama piece. However, once the first frame begins, it becomes unclear on what the audience is supposed to feel during much of it, other than a feeling of nerves and psychological stress. Some of the shots zoom in slowly on a character's face while they react to an event, dialogue, or an action, forcing the audience to really examine the characters. In fact, the very first image that the audience is put through is this very clear image of a heart beating in the middle of surgery while classical music plays in the background.

At other times, two characters are put into awkward positions and you wonder if the whole scene will take a complete left turn and introduce something morbid due to the coupling of bland facial expressions and unnerving dialogue. The way that Filippou and Lanthimos write their dialogue can be unsettling and very awkward. Most cinematic dialogues have a mixture of both conversational dialogue (which can also help push the story forward) and subtextual dialogue. The subtextual dialogue can convey whatever the underlying emotions/intentions are. It is often left for the audience to decipher and digest. But on the contrary, the dialogue is sharp on the point. Normal social dialogue.

Collin Farrell and company do a fantastic job under Lanthimos' direction to portray characters whose psyches are unraveling before the audience's own eyes. They understand that sometimes the absence of emotion or logic in its characters can make the best horror at times. Yet at times, they show enough emotion to push the story forward and make the events almost believable.

Though well-made, it is not without its faults. For all that it builds up throughout the film, there is a possibility that the audience can feel unsatisfied. Refraining from spoilers, our protagonist (played by Colin Farrell) is forced to make a difficult decision and shocks its audience to end the climax. The problem is not that but what happens in the aftermath. There seems to be a reflection on the relationship between the protagonist (Farrell) and the antagonist (Keoghan) but fails to addresses the aftermath of the previous events.

In addition, the dialogue between the characters, though unique in its approach, can be hard to follow. It takes a second or third viewing to grasp everything the characters say and grab the hints of foreshadowing sprinkled throughout.

All that being said, it's a very interesting watch for people who enjoy uncomfortable films and situations. I would not recommend the film to any causal movie-goer.

But for those who do wish to watch a film whose makers understand the craft of film and take control of it in all aspects, then this is a film I believe people must see.

(Director Yorgos Lanthimos' film The Favourite is set to release this year on November 23, if you wish to view more of his filmography.)

Overall score: 8.7/10