Review of The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) by Fadi S — 03 Dec 2017

All I knew about the story before I saw the film was that it was based on a Greek myth about Agamemnon incurring the wrath of Artemis by killing a deer. I was expecting a tale of revenge and that is what the film is. Unfortunately the revenge part is quite ludicrous - "Your children's legs will stop working and blood will come from their eyes" spoken as a curse/spell which then comes true. This hokum does not appear until half way through the film which up until then has been modern, contemporary and realistic in style. It felt like a glib narrative device for a witless film-maker.

By the end it was clear that ancient Greek myths belong in an ancient culture where people believe in curses, spells, witches, etc. Our understanding of the world has moved on since those times and so any attempt to revive such obsolete ideas is bound to fall flat on its face like this film.

Luckily for me I went to see Battle of the Sexes a few days later and my love of cinema was restored.