A bearded, sombre looking Colin Farrell plays a cardiac surgeon in Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ – Dr. Steven Murphy – who befriends a young teen named Martin, for reasons best known to the two. As Martin inches his way closer to the doctor’s family and starts treading and trampling ever so softly on his life, a concerned Anna (Nicole Kidman), Steven’s wife, insists that she knows what it is that binds the man and the boy together.
Writers Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou ensure that the film is starkly eerie throughout, by throwing in a fabric of obscurity over it; never revealing enough that would let you loosen the grip on the narrative. Its this enigma that makes the film fiercely appealing; this strangely cramped world of closed spaces and white walls that it comes up with, that leaves you unsettled on your seat.
The performances, whether it be that of a perturbed looking Farell or Kidman with an icy stare, or that of the young actors, Raffey Cassidy or Sunny Suljic who play Kim and Bob Murphy respectively, or of Barry Keoghan, who plays the inscrutable Martin, are top notch.
Add to it, Thimios Bakatakis’ excellent cinematography that crafts an extraordinary chill through its slithering moves, and a spooky background score that is unlike anything that I have heard. With plenty of scrapes and grates and rattle and clatter, this fantastic score has been keyed in by a group of real brilliant artistes, who, along with this intriguing film, deserves an ovation for sure.
Verdict: Good