REVIEW #167 Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, A Killing of A Sacred Deer is a Thriller horror following surgeon Steven Murphy who mentors a 16 year old boy named Martin. As the weeks pass, Martins sinister intentions start to reveal themselves and Steven’s family pays the price. 

I had only heard positive things about A Killing of A Sacred Deer and the amazing cast consisting of Collin Farrell, Barry Keoghan and Nicole Kidman certainly pointed towards a great film. However, I was left disappointed, for me it failed to show any signs of a worthy thriller or a horror and I found myself wanting to switch it off pretty early on. The acting was the strong point with Barry Keoghan playing the mentally deranged  Martin incredibly well. Equally Collin Farrell and Nicole Kidman also performed well enough but unfortunately the plot was so disengaging that I couldn’t really appreciate the performances. I didn’t like the fact that we never found out what was actually going on with the kids, I understand wanting to leave the audience with questions but it left me more confused than anything else. In regards to the cinematography, there was a specific emphasis on the wide angle lenses that created some really nice shots. As the storyline progressed, the use of vignette increases in the frame. Symbolising the characters becoming less composed and more fragile. The musical score almost sounded amateur at times but it did contribute nicely to the overall vibe of the film. It’s clear A Killing of a Sacred Deer relies upon deriving a certain feeling within the viewer, wanting to make us as uncomfortable as possible to really drive home the genre elements, but in my opinion it failed at that. I think most general audiences would find this incredibly slow paced with little reward for your determination to finish the film. 

Thanks for reading.

Callan