Movie Reaction: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Formula: (The Lobster + Dogtooth) / Prisoners
 

It's a shame that I'm so backloaded on my Reactions, because I have a rather lengthy discussion of Yorgos Lanthimos' first film, Dogtooth, coming up in which I determine that I must be missing something about him. I really didn't get the appeal of that movie and I was pretty mixed about his second film, The Lobster. I did at least see what he was doing with those film though, unlike his latest film.
 
Killing of a Sacred Deer is about a neurologist played by Collin Farrell who is being punished by the son of a former patient, played by Barry Keoghan. Keoghan goes after Farrell's family after first ingratiating himself with them. I can't go much further than that without moving into spoiler territory. Although, to be honest, if you are into this movie for the twists, then you are massively missing the point.

The first thing that stood out about this movie is the dialogue. It is incredibly awkward. No one in the film talks like a real person. It's similar to The Lobster in that way, so I'm willing to accept that this is a style choice. However, it made it incredibly hard to buy into the more human moments. It's not even like a Wes Anderson movie though, in which the subtext is always "hey, you're in a movie". This seemed to be an otherwise real world. A lot of the movie relies on the idea that certain characters are acting strangely. But, when everyone is strange to begin with, how is the audience supposed to differentiate?

I'm afraid the weird dialogue got in my way of appreciating the performances. Keoghan is very intense. It's a drastic turn from the scared kid in Dunkirk. His character is the one that I most believed, oddly enough. He was being asked to deliver a very arch character and he did. Farrell and Nicole Kidman, who plays his wife, were too stiff. That's intentional, but when it's combined with the dialogue, it was tough to connect with them. It was nice to see Raffey Cassidy show up as their daughter, who becomes infatuated with Keoghan. Cassidy was excellent in Tomorrowland, and this was a big, committed shift. 

I think my overall issue comes down to the director inserting himself too much into the film. The distinctive dialogue, pitch black humor, and showy camerawork combined to feel like Lanthimos was screaming at me the whole time. Sacred Deer often feels like a satire without a target. Something is being made fun of, but I'm not sure anyone knows what or to what end. Similar to The Lobster, I have no problem with the high concept of the movie. To use my parlance, that's my one big leap I'm giving it. Unlike The Lobster though, I'm not sure how any of these characters exist when not on screen. They exist only to tell this story. I don't know how any of them spend a day or existed long enough in the world to get to that point. 

I didn't care for Deer. Lathimos is a skilled filmmaker and this reinforces that. That's not enough to carry a film though. This is a film that is so confidently made, that I feel like I must be missing something about it.  And maybe that's the case. I doubt it, but it's possible. There are some good things about the film. Sadly, the bad things in the film are the type obfuscate the good. Good performances can't shine if the direction dominates them and the dialogue is fetters them. So, yeah, don't bother. But, if you do anyway and enjoy it, let me know. I'd like to figure this one out but have no desire to see it again.


Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend