Post by The Social Introvert on Mar 28, 2018 13:37:02 GMT
Thought it was OK. Not amazing, definitely not a bad film.
Audio review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRjF3Ww3F5g
Text version:
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to his brilliant satirical comedy The Lobster.
Much of the movie’s pull and charm lies in not really knowing what’s going on so I won’t give a plot outline because for this movie I’d personally consider that a spoiler. Just know that it revolves around a comfortably-living surgeon whose life begins to fall apart, and it seems to have something to do with a teenage boy recently he befriended.
IMDb lists the main character as ‘charasmatic’ and I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be ironic or in an internet user taking the piss because similarly to The Lobster, the characters in the film act as if they’re all overdosed on anti-depressants and talk very bluntly and directly about subjects we would consider taboo. In The Lobster it was hilarious and made a lot of sense since it took place in an alternate society where the norms are a lot different from ours. But since Sacred Deer takes place in what I assume is our present day world I wasn’t too sure what purpose the oddball dialogue served. It was interesting and at times quite funny but unlike the film’s predecessor it did come off as aimless.
I really dug the look of this film. Thimios Bakatakis‘camera, especially during the scenes set in the hospital where our protagonist played by Colin Farrell works, creeps around like a spectre with low-angle shots gliding around the building. The way we often follow characters from behind as they walk away or face them onwards as they move in the direction of the camera with the camera keeping a consistent distance, along with numerous slow zoom ins and zoom outs will instantly remind you of The Shining. Like Kubrick’s movie, an unsettling score chooses to drop in as it so pleases, making you shit your pants during some scenes and just feel mildly uncomfortable during others. The movie seemingly borrows heavily from The Shining in building its unnerving feel. It’s a film where everything on screen for an hour or so seems relatively normal, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is very off, that some of the characters know something that we don’t.
In terms of the story - it’s relatively simple once everything is unravelled and the film has an almost mystical captivating feel which relies on not knowing the details of the story. Essentially it’s a take on a tale from Greek mythology set in modern times. The players involved which includes Nicole Kidman as Farrell’s wife all give satisfactory performances. The stand out for me was Barry Keoghan as the odd kid that hangs around Farrell. His face alone is unnerving enough and he perfectly captured the essence of playing a weirdo teenager, the kind you suspect spends most of his time eating mud and playing with himself.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer was interesting. It was stimulating. It had my attention throughout. And when it was finished I did think it was a nicely packaged little film. But I did think the film was a little milder than it could have been. I apologies for bringing The Lobster up again since you should judge a movie on its own, but that film took a subject – romantic relationships – and ran with it, exploring it deeply and doing all sorts. Sacred Deer has a few different angles – a quest for revenge, children paying for the sins of the father, guilt and karma, and a couple of other elements and several different subplots. The problem is the film briefly touches on each of these, poking a toe in but not diving headfirst in like The Lobster did. Because of this I can’t help but feel the film comes of a little bit bland for not flexing its muscles as much as it could have done.
Still the film is a simple story told with enough creative juice from one of the most unique directors working today to be worthwhile. I’m not sorry I saw it, though I probably won’t see it again. 7/10.
Audio review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRjF3Ww3F5g
Text version:
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to his brilliant satirical comedy The Lobster.
Much of the movie’s pull and charm lies in not really knowing what’s going on so I won’t give a plot outline because for this movie I’d personally consider that a spoiler. Just know that it revolves around a comfortably-living surgeon whose life begins to fall apart, and it seems to have something to do with a teenage boy recently he befriended.
IMDb lists the main character as ‘charasmatic’ and I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be ironic or in an internet user taking the piss because similarly to The Lobster, the characters in the film act as if they’re all overdosed on anti-depressants and talk very bluntly and directly about subjects we would consider taboo. In The Lobster it was hilarious and made a lot of sense since it took place in an alternate society where the norms are a lot different from ours. But since Sacred Deer takes place in what I assume is our present day world I wasn’t too sure what purpose the oddball dialogue served. It was interesting and at times quite funny but unlike the film’s predecessor it did come off as aimless.
I really dug the look of this film. Thimios Bakatakis‘camera, especially during the scenes set in the hospital where our protagonist played by Colin Farrell works, creeps around like a spectre with low-angle shots gliding around the building. The way we often follow characters from behind as they walk away or face them onwards as they move in the direction of the camera with the camera keeping a consistent distance, along with numerous slow zoom ins and zoom outs will instantly remind you of The Shining. Like Kubrick’s movie, an unsettling score chooses to drop in as it so pleases, making you shit your pants during some scenes and just feel mildly uncomfortable during others. The movie seemingly borrows heavily from The Shining in building its unnerving feel. It’s a film where everything on screen for an hour or so seems relatively normal, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is very off, that some of the characters know something that we don’t.
In terms of the story - it’s relatively simple once everything is unravelled and the film has an almost mystical captivating feel which relies on not knowing the details of the story. Essentially it’s a take on a tale from Greek mythology set in modern times. The players involved which includes Nicole Kidman as Farrell’s wife all give satisfactory performances. The stand out for me was Barry Keoghan as the odd kid that hangs around Farrell. His face alone is unnerving enough and he perfectly captured the essence of playing a weirdo teenager, the kind you suspect spends most of his time eating mud and playing with himself.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer was interesting. It was stimulating. It had my attention throughout. And when it was finished I did think it was a nicely packaged little film. But I did think the film was a little milder than it could have been. I apologies for bringing The Lobster up again since you should judge a movie on its own, but that film took a subject – romantic relationships – and ran with it, exploring it deeply and doing all sorts. Sacred Deer has a few different angles – a quest for revenge, children paying for the sins of the father, guilt and karma, and a couple of other elements and several different subplots. The problem is the film briefly touches on each of these, poking a toe in but not diving headfirst in like The Lobster did. Because of this I can’t help but feel the film comes of a little bit bland for not flexing its muscles as much as it could have done.
Still the film is a simple story told with enough creative juice from one of the most unique directors working today to be worthwhile. I’m not sorry I saw it, though I probably won’t see it again. 7/10.
