If you've seen Dogtooth or The Lobster, then you can surely guess that the latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos will also surpass the normality. At the beginning, his world seemed to be similar to our world, but we later found out that it did not look very similar. We must believe in our weirdness. If not, it will attract us to believe.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer tells of the tragedy that struck a seemingly perfect family. Colin Farrell plays Steven, a doctor who, of course, is a dreaming profession, has a mansion, and an ideal family. He lives with his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two teenage children. They are quite harmonious, though they can not be called warm when they see their rigid interactions.
The strange thing is how Steven often spent time with a teenager named Martin (Barry Keoghan). They go for a walk, lunch, or give each other a gift. Steven for example, once gave Martin expensive watches. What exactly is their relationship? Asmara kah? Hmm, by the way, Steven's sexual activity with his wife is fine, with a note we can assume normal when Anna has to pretend to be sedated before Steven wants to touch her in bed.
Like all Lanthimos movies, all of his characters speak in a formal and flat style, barely showing emotion. It makes us interested to guess what really happened and what they really think. The characters are quirky and their looks can be deceptive. We do not know where we will be taken and Lanthimos cleverly exploits this trick to grab us.
Who is this Martin? How could Steven be that bastard when told? Including when Martin wanted to be invited to dinner with the Steven family. In retaliation, Martin also invited Steven (and only Steven) to dine at his house he left with his mother (Alicia Silverstone). Keoghan is a young actor capable of providing intensity in such a way that makes him look calm on the outside but scary inside.
Suddenly Steven's youngest child, Bob (Sunny Suljic) suffers from paralysis. He is suspected of having a strange disease, which is so strangely can not be diagnosed by any doctor. It is safe for me to mention that his eldest son, Kim (Raffey Cassidy) also later suffered the same illness. So it is with information that Martin seems to know what's going on. "This is a critical moment that we both know will come".
Talking his plot through this point I think will ruin the viewing experience, as this is the biggest asset of the movie. In my opinion, this film is the most ordinary film of all Lanthimos films. The way of presentation is unusual. He reveals the information slowly, peeling off the plots one by one. Lanthimos controls his visuals with precision. Its surreal atmosphere makes us uncomfortable. Even from the beginning, Lanthimos has shocked us with scenes showing close-up heart surgery.
Farrell, who had previously collaborated with Lanthimos at The Lobster, performed more or less the same character. Kaku, have a unique style of speech, and like to muddle emotions, it's just a little thinner body, her hair is whiter, and her beard is thicker. But the conflict is more severe because one small action in the past turned his family to bear such a consequence.
I just found out that the title of the film refers to the Greek legend about Agamemnon who killed the goddess deer Artemis then had to pay with the life of his daughter. Tamsil is easily detected in the movie. It is about karma and how far people are responsible. Lanthimos is fond of using absurd situations to explore behavior, even though The Killing of a Sacred Deer is not as glamorous as that. He is more successful in getting us caught, anticipating the cruelty that is slowly approaching.