Post by SnoBorderZero on Sept 29, 2017 0:09:10 GMT -5
This review contains spoilers as it's difficult to discuss the film without them.
When discussing which contemporary filmmakers are at the forefront of creating innovative cinema that is distinctly their own, few if any rise above the eccentrically odd yet delightful works of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. We talk so much about a director's style and what characteristics make them so unique, like what separates a Tarantino film from other crime dramas or how a Wes Anderson work is so different from typical ensemble comedies. This is now the fourth film I've seen by Lanthimos, and I can easily claim that his work is unlike any other filmmaker's I've seen. I've described his style, maybe poorly, as if Lars Von Trier had a sense of humor, story, and better composition. I'm not saying that just to dig at Von Trier, but to make the point that Lanthimos has similar strengths to the best European directors while forgoing their flaws. Von Trier makes stories and characters that piss us off purposely and he seems to enjoy putting his audiences through the ringer with little message to reflect on at the end other than sheer brutality. Lanthimos also can be difficult to watch and also focuses on the darker elements of humanity, but he injects his films with hilariously deadpan humor and dialogue spoken by characters who feel like real people but aren't quite all there either. Dogtooth, which I still consider to be his best film, is both hilarious and shocking all while being entrancing. The story about a father who keeps his family completely isolated and ignorant of the outside world was brilliantly unique, and Lanthimos has stuck to his guns ever since. I've never seen a director who can catch the viewer off guard as well as he does, luring us into the silliness of the characters and then abruptly shattering the fun with extreme outbursts of brutal violence. It was clear with Dogtooth that a burgeoning auteur was in our cinematic midst, and his first foray into English filmmaking with 2015's The Lobster was evidence that while Lanthimos still reaches back to his delightful bag of tricks and nuances, he's got plenty of wonderfully eccentric ideas and characters still to explore. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is still pure Lanthimos, so anyone who found Dogtooth or The Lobster to be not for them should steer clear. It's got a bit of a different beat this time around though, as Lanthimos elects for the tone of a thriller rather than the offbeat dark comedies he's done previously.
The film centers on Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), a cardiologist who lives in a beautiful home with his wife (Nicole Kidman) and two children (Raffey Cassidy and Sunny Suljic). While the family appears to be the idyllic upper middle class model, there's clearly some underlying issues within them, none odder in typical Lanthimos fashion than Steven's wife Anna roleplaying that she's under anesthesia for Steven to have sex with her. Early on in the film, we're introduced to Steven's teenage acquaintance, Martin (Barry Keoghan in a mesmerizing performance), who loiters around the hospital to see Steven and constantly badgers him to come over for dinner. Steven obliges Martin at times, buying him gifts and showing interest in Martin's personal life. One day Steven invites Martin over to his home for dinner, and Martin quickly garners the affection of Steven's daughter and the wariness of his wife. (DON'T READ FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR SPOILERS) Later in the film, Steven's son Bob's legs go completely numb and he can no longer walk. Shortly after, Steven's daughter succumbs to the same fate. It's then revealed that Steven was drunk while performing an operation on Martin's father, resulting in him dying. Martin tells Steven that to repay him, Steven must sacrifice either one of his children or Anna in order to make this odd, mystical paralysis go away. This harkens back to the film's title, recounting the Greek tragedy of Iphigenia, which is also directly referenced in the film. I got the gist that Lanthimos is playing on the idea of people, in this case doctors, playing God, and that when mortals play God there are prices to pay for their mistakes. I don't think I'm far off on that, as later in the film the choice is ultimately made. The film plays itself in as straightforward in fashion as a Lanthimos film can be, and yet there is this strange mystical quality around the paralysis. It's like the invisible border from The Exterminating Angel; it's there maybe, but we don't see it, and yet it's directly burdening every character in the film. All of this leads to a very tense final fifteen minutes that will leave some shocked at the film's ending and others frustrated by the payoff after the slow pacing that the film embodies. I won't spoil that much here, and it's not on the level of Dogtooth's knockout climax (no pun intended), but it's pretty shocking in its own right.
Lanthimos is simply a director in complete control of his work. His films feel so entirely in their own world, and yet all of it still maintains a sense of realism. Characters speak to one another in very blunt, deadpan dialogue that's so goofy and awkward yet reveal serious personal details. Actions that seem to be completely random or only there for the sake of a confused laugh come back with serious ramifications. Farrell's character here is much different from the dorky but lovable loser in The Lobster. Steven is cold, selfish, and loves being in control. He's a toned down version of the father in Dogtooth, but his final choice is carried out in sinister fashion. The cinematography is gorgeous, and Lanthimos makes a nice habit of slowly creeping through wide interiors, lurching towards the characters as they reveal themselves. We get closer and closer to them, and suddenly their desires and intentions seem to spill out of them. The camera invades this idyllic home and family, much like Martin does, and the film accomplishes maintaining an unsettling and intrusive tone while juggling the dark laughs like only Lanthimos can. The Killing of a Sacred Deer doesn't reach the lofty heights of Dogtooth or The Lobster, and like those films this movie is certainly far from being for everyone, but it's a film rich with symbolism and masterful craftsmanship that once again solidifies Lanthimos as one of the best and truly original filmmakers today.
8/10
