If you're familiar with the work of Yorgos Lanthimos, then you know that his movies can be pretty divisive, and are definitely not for everybody's enjoyment. In fact, on my screening, at the beginning of the end credits, a lady behind me proclaims "well that's 2 hours I want back!." I on the other hand was still reeling a bit from what Lanthimos just showed me on screen; especially that final act. I myself felt like that was a unique 2 hours of my time that I'm appreciative to have been able to experience. Needless to say, that was definitely a revenge film like I've never seen before, and that's as much as I want to divulge about the plot, without dangerously getting close to spoiler territory.
"Odd" is definitely a word that easily describes this movie, but that is to be expected from Yorgos Lanthimos. He really has a unique style to capture that oddness on screen. The stilted emotionless dialogue is still one of his signature styles, but for the uninitiated it might just seem like the actors are reading their lines horribly. That's going to be a turn off for many people, while others will find that style to be more along the lines of a dark comedy. It's almost amusing to hear a character proclaim that somebody is dying in a matter-of-fact way. There's also a scene where a character has to announce their intentions of revenge in a rushed manner, because the other person is in a hurry and needs to leave. How courteous...
Considering the premise of this revenge flick, the tone of this movie can be unnerving and menacing. There's a sense of helplessness and desperation that occurs in the second half of the story, that leads to a series of scenes that come off like a fascinating social study of what people are willing to do when faced with the notion that they will die. Some of what the characters are willing to do come off as ironically hypocritical and dementedly outrageous. It all just gets twisted and off-putting, and there are those who will be captivated with what they are seeing on screen, while some others are going to find it all too disturbing for their tastes. Either way, both camps will find themselves unable to keep their eyes off the screen.
While I appreciated the intricate themes and plot progression of "The Killing Of A Sacred Deer," the subject matter is actually simpler than meets the eye. The story and characters go many places, but in the end the movie's messaging isn't as confusing as some might think it is. Even so, I liked the story, and I also have to give kudos to the actors like Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, and Sunny Suljic, for embracing this material and putting it all out there on screen.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
