Dr Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways. Soon, the full scope of Martin's intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter his domestic bliss forever.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a modern retelling of an old story from Greek Mythology, namely around King Agamemnon.
The film sets itself up as a psychological horror, piece by piece. The sets and environments for the film are large, immaculate, and sterile, and it goes against the grain of what is expected of the horror genre. There are no poorly maintained buildings with unknown, horrible histories. Without looking into the title of the film, the setting of the scenes and the visual looks of the Murphy household looks like it would be fit for a drama. And that is exactly what fuels the unsettling nature of the film.
Everything feels off-kilter; from the awkward, robotic, staccato dialogue, to the almost unfamiliar relationships between all of the characters. Everything feels fake and manufactured, with the characters conversations coming across like something that they were scripted to say, not a genuine interaction. It could be seen as a negative aspect of the film, but as this is a Lanthimos film (and knowing the calibre of the cast), this was clearly a deliberate choice.
The uncomfortable relationships slowly build in intensity, thanks to the ever-growing presence of Martin (played by Barry Keoghan), who manages to balance his role well flirting with the lines between child-like innocence and prematurely-adult menace, while keeping a cool deadpan expression throughout the events of the film.
Cinematography and musical score do an exceptional job at building and maintaining a sense of tension, bringing strings at unexpected moments, and making any scene that could be otherwise seen as touching or caring, come across as sinister and unpleasant. The camera shots create an odd vibe with many panning shots from a low height looking up, or looking down from above, leaving a lot of empty space above the focus point of the scenes. It is as if the aim is to give the impression of there being more to the story that has not been revealed, alternatively creating that sense of being watched or observed by something unseen.
By the end of the film--while it keeps your interest throughout--it fails to have a satisfactory pay-off. It builds tension for two hours, but without a sufficient release, it leaves the audience in a state of nervous shock.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a surprisingly well-created psychological thriller; no big action sequences, no monsters. Simply, a dark secret that Dr Stephen Murphy must suffer the consequences of.
On a side note: I'm not too sure why, but this is the third film that I am aware of that has Nicole Kidman giving an angry handjob (the other two were 2018s Destroyer and 2001s Birthday Girl), it's a really odd trend.