Review of The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) by Chandler H — 23 Nov 2017

Yorgos Lanthimos' 2015 film The Lobster was undoubtedly one of the weirdest films I've ever seen. The idea of turning single people into animals is bizarre, and it's deadpan dialogue, while occasionally humorous, was ultimately flat, distracting, and pestilent.

Lanthimos' latest attempt at filmmaking, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, follows the same deadpan style of dialogue, and again, it doesn't work. The story, while mildly preposterous, is interesting and a significant improvement over The Lobster.

Steven Murphy (played by Colin Farrell) is a surgeon with a mysterious connection to a young boy named Martin who takes interest in him (played by Barry Keoghan). As Martin and Steven grow closer, Martin eventually reveals the connection and puts Steven, his wife (played by Nicole Kidman), and his children through a series of grueling and excessively violent, debilitating occurrences, none of which can be logically explained.

.. all we know is that Martin is behind it. On paper, the story is great but it's dragged down by unnecessary sex scenes that have little to no contribution to the plot, and finally, terrible direction.

I can't blame Farrell or Kidman or Keoghan for the dry and lifeless acting because it's Lanthimos' vehicle, and while it has power under the hood, the drive is bumpy and discomforting.