'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' discussion thread

Comes out here next week, really looking forward to it.

I liked it for the most part, even though it felt a little too long, and I actually prefer it over The Lobster. I think this film sustains itself better, but I found the ending to be somewhat disappointing and weirdly banal... I feel like the conclusion could have gone a much more interesting route than it did. The film's dark humor is great though and like how the film is evocative of Greek myth/tragedy in a really idiosyncratic way and moves with purpose without seeming random or aimless. It definitely felt like I was watching a Haneke film at times. Also, Barry Keoghan is terrific in this.

What did you think of The Lobster? 

I recommend it. It's a great improvement upon Dogtooth imo. I really hope The Killing of a Sacred Deer does it again for me.

She's fine, but Keoghan was the only performance that really left an impression on me.  She's more memorable in The Beguiled, but I don't think she has a chance for either.

Everyone here plays their roles in a kind of deliberately stylized, emotionally flattened, uncanny manner that works for the tone of the film.

I luuuurved it. I will expand my thoughts later.

I'm mad at my reaction because Lanthimos is one of my favourite directors but in all honesty I though this movie was rather empty once you pass the surface.
It takes a long time to fully establish the rules we are dealing with, it was fun for a while to see unfold the relationship between Martin and Steven. I appreciate the patience, to give room to decifer the roles everyone are playing, the cinematography is beautiful, there are many echoes to the work of Gregory Crewdson, to Kubrick's The Shining and Caché ,  incredible, memorable moments, beautifully orchestrated ( the choir scene, the colaphse of the young kid in the hospital, the final scene at the living room ) that certainly kept my interest throughtout but ultimately I was more interested in how it was put together rather than the story, not much kept me involved and the humor was a bit flat and sporadic and by the time the movie goes into horror territory there was not much to latch on.

Lanthimos works better with a clearer target to satirize, because hypocrisy in a family doesn't justify the running time and for the ending itself, it wasn't even shocking, earlier in the film two characters contradict themselves, one says that a surgeon is never the one to blame for the death of a patient, an anesthesiologist says the opposite, if the story had gone that route confronting them I'd find more meaning. 

And for the performances definitely Barry Keoghan stands out, he's playing three different notes at once ( very much in line with Lanthimos' past films, although there's a bit more emotion here ), Alicia Silverstone is fantastic in her scene, wish she had at least one more, the other performances were extremely precise, especially Kidman,  I don't think it works that well, there's no room for interpretation. 
 

My friend had an interesting theory about the film, In any case, it's pretty mesmerizing to watch, regardless of what else you think of it.

Lanthimos' style just doesn't work for me, though I can see why people would love this and his other work. It has a great look, score and cast, but I just couldn't get invested in it all that much because of Lanthimos' inherent filmmaking style. 6/10

Great film. I liked how it felt like a blend of Miranda July and Michael Haneke.

Quite disturbing morals but exciting executed and extremely well written. An incredibly bleak film with some really good performances and twisted characters. Yorgos Lanthimos is surely one of the most creative directors out there what he already proved with "The Lobster".
Colin Farrell is once again his star in this much darker follow up project. I felt his acting was a bit robotic at times but he still delivered a very solid performance. Barry Keoghan had a very similar acting style but it totally fitted his character and he gave the best performance in this film. He embodied everything the film was about and delivered a very scary and unpredictable character. Great job and a good young actor to look out for. Nicole Kidman also was fantastic. A lot of her performance worked through her silent moments, her expressions, her staring. Great job. The kids were okay. Wished there had been more of Alicia Silverstone. The soundtrack was haunting and fitting the very unsettling atmosphere. Its one of the best screenplays of the year, thats for sure. The way it developed into that nightmare at the end was capturing me for the whole time. Also it is rich on metaphors (something like the Martin character also loves to use) and tough moralic questions. Its not a film for everyone but everyone who doesnt see it misses something.

Nominations:

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Barry Keoghan
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nicole Kidman
Best Original Screenplay

Rating: 8/10