The Killing of a Scared Deer stars Collin Farrell as a fated cardiologist in a moving reframing of the Greek myth Iphigenia in Taurus. Directed by Greek artist Yorgos Lanthimos who has grown in popularity for his last two films The Lobster and The Favorite, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a meaningful, slow-burn epic that has you questioning the powers of the fates in your own life.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer follows Doctor Steven Murphey (Farrell) and his family (Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, and Sunny Suljic) as Murphey's children mysteriously lose their ability to walk and their appetite to eat. The curse on Murphey's children stems from Martin (Barry Keghan), a young boy whose father dies under Doctor Murphey's care while he operated under the influence of alcohol. Martin seeks revenge and ultimately announces that the curse will be lifted should Doctor Murphey kill one of his own children in an "eye for an eye" scenario.
In a departure from most modern films that value highwire action and comedy to draw a crowd, Lanthimos and his crew of wildly talented actors deliver deadpan performances that raise the hair on the back of your neck. Notably, Barry Keoghan's portrayal of the sinister yet unassuming Martin is frightening to the extreme with his ability to contrast innocence with near demonic intentions.
If I had to highlight the single variable that drives The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the one thread that pulls the audience along throughout the two-hour A24 saga, it would be its wonderfully frightening use of soundtrack and leitmotif. The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The pairing of emotionally draining and epic choruses at the hand of Franz Schubert with Latin and German operatic movements engenders a frightening sense of dread, one that brilliantly capitalizes on the juxtaposition of murder and revenge against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect American family.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer follows Doctor Steven Murphey (Farrell) and his family (Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, and Sunny Suljic) as Murphey's children mysteriously lose their ability to walk and their appetite to eat. The curse on Murphey's children stems from Martin (Barry Keghan), a young boy whose father dies under Doctor Murphey's care while he operated under the influence of alcohol. Martin seeks revenge and ultimately announces that the curse will be lifted should Doctor Murphey kill one of his own children in an "eye for an eye" scenario.
In a departure from most modern films that value highwire action and comedy to draw a crowd, Lanthimos and his crew of wildly talented actors deliver deadpan performances that raise the hair on the back of your neck. Notably, Barry Keoghan's portrayal of the sinister yet unassuming Martin is frightening to the extreme with his ability to contrast innocence with near demonic intentions.
If I had to highlight the single variable that drives The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the one thread that pulls the audience along throughout the two-hour A24 saga, it would be its wonderfully frightening use of soundtrack and leitmotif. The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The pairing of emotionally draining and epic choruses at the hand of Franz Schubert with Latin and German operatic movements engenders a frightening sense of dread, one that brilliantly capitalizes on the juxtaposition of murder and revenge against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect American family.
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