The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

2017

*****

Yorgos Lanthimos is a director who goes from strength to strength with each film he makes but 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a side-step into darker territory for the Greek film maker. All of Lanthimos’ film so far have had a subtle level of quirky humor about them and while there is a clinically amusing way about Colin Farrell’s character in the movie, it soon develops into something of a psychological horror, even though it never really feels like it is. The story was written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou and based on their original idea, although the story is extremely close to the story of Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides. Indeed, the story is mentioned in the film and it is where the title of the film comes from. In Greek mythology, Iphigenia appears as the Greek fleet gathers in Aulis to prepare for war against Troy. At Aulis, the leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, accidentally kills a deer in a grove sacred to the goddess Artemis. She punishes him by interfering with the winds so that his fleet cannot sail to Troy. The seer Calchas reveals that, to appease Artemis, Agamemnon must sacrifice his eldest daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon at first refuses but, pressured by the other commanders, eventually agrees. Lanthimos has stated that the story was of influence but it really isn’t a type of adaptation. I’m not so sure but I love the contemporary take on the classic tale. Colin Farrell’s character seems to come straight out of Lanthimos’ previous film ‘Lobster’, which threw me a bit at first. The character develops from a simple man to a keeper of secrets rather beautifully and I can’t help but think that the initial part of the film is something of a red herring. Nicole Kidman has worked with some of the greatest directors of all time, here she adds the great Lanthimos to her resume but as good as she is, I don’t think she brings anything more to the film that countless other actors could have done better with. Barry Keoghan out-acts everyone with his wonderfully sly performance that is enriched by his natural quirks and arrogance. He is an actor with a huge future ahead of him. Young Raffey Cassidy and Sunny Suljic are also superb. The film is full of the idiosyncrasy that we can now expect from Lanthimos but many of the visuals looks if they’ve been taken from Edward Hopper paintings and several scenes are straight out of Stanley Kubrick’s book of film making. Without wanting to dismiss Lanthimos’ originality, I do wonder whether he is the next Stanley Kubrick. The last few minutes of the film are some of the most intense I’ve seen for a long while. There were many times during the film where I felt my skin crawl and any director who can manage that is a true auteur of the manipulative kind. It is one of those rare examples of the finished film being just as good and living up to its stunning screenplay. Even when you recognise the Iphigenia influence it keeps you guessing and then slaps you in the face with the startling conclusion. It’s a bold and unapologetic film that does everything right, even though it breaks so many important rules of film making. It’s the future as far as I’m concerned if cinema is to evolve and flourish.