Review of The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) by Felix M — 12 Dec 2017

**Slight disclaimer: My "reviews," are really just gut reactions that I can remember and jot down. Forgive the sloppy styling, grammatical errors and general upheaval of my writing. While I do try and write something cohesive and obeying film review etiquette, mostly, I say fuck that. What I love about theater going, is the surge of emotions I experience, especially during a particularly bad or a truly great film. I try (and likely fail) to translate that feeling into my writing but hey, I warned you. You can stop now and I'll never know.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

Watched 11/27/2017.

Yorgos Lanthimos can make a fucking movie.

The busy, greek, filmmaker has been consistently directing and writing odd, bizarre, funny, and very unsettling films. The Lobster should immediately come to all of your minds. I loved The Lobster and it put Lanthimos on my radar, so naturally seeing The Killing of a Scared Deer as fast as I could was on my priority list.

I am happy to say I am not disappointed. Not in the slightest. Sacred Deer takes all of the shock and uncomfortable-ness (is that a word?) of The Lobster and crafts a new beast entirely. I really do not want to give a synopsis, I think the less you know of this one the better. I watched zero trailers and read nothing on this film and was absolutely delighted (in a sadistic, dark way) by the film I saw.

Powerful performances and cold calculated dialogue drive this film though it's 2 hour run time. Colin Farrell never ceases to surprise me, usually when someone mentions great performers, his name doesn't come to mind. That should be a crime. Farrell lives and breathes his performances. Especially when partnered with Lanthimos. We are witnessing a great director and actor relationship and I cannot wait to see more. Nicole Kidman, legendary performer knocks this role out of the park. I haven't seen her this convincing and intense since Eyes Wide Shut, I am not saying she hasn't done anything great since then, she most certainly has, but this performance was truly exceptional.

The greatest breakthrough in this film comes from the young actor Barry Keoghan. At 25 years old, amongst greats like Kidman and Farrell, he stands as an equal. He bounces from weak and pathetic to revolting and frightening. Every time he is on screen you're not sure what you're going to get...but you always get something. I love it when a character can do that. You look forward to their scenes and love it when they deliver.

Okay, I've got enough drool on my keyboard about the players. The themes of this film are particularly difficult to place. There is a message here, or many messages. But I am still trying to work out how they play. The subject matter (oh how official) of this film will upset you. It upset a few people in my screening. The things you see, you know you shouldn't look at, yet it is handled in a tasteful way (that word is a stretch) but it does not feel exploitative. I love how far Lanthimos pushes the envelope here.I have not heard an audience react this much since, Aronofsky's thriller, "mother!," in that screening a family of four left the theater, leaving me completely alone. No one left this screening of Scared Deer, but, hearing the uncomfortable laughter and a few groans of discomfort with the scenarios on screen was incredibly pleasing to me. I am glad people still feel anything.

Our main protagonist is plagued with a choice that could very well lead to his entire family's death. The conclusion of this problem is handled in a way I'll likely never forget. The ending moments will stay with me for a very long time. To further demonstrate the audience reaction, I lit up a cigarette outside the theater (don't judge me, I needed it) and just behind me a young man says to his companion "That shit fucked me up, dude." Indeed it did.