There’s an Autistic approach in “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” that I find most intriguing. Being a young man with Autism, it’s easy for me to determine that based on the dialogue and the behavior of the characters.
Colin Farrell stars as Steven, a cardiologist with a loving family, who takes a liking to a new kid named Martin (Barry Keoghan from “Dunkirk”). Almost every time this kid appears on screen or even speaks on the phone, the music starts to get eerie, giving us the illusion not to trust him. He shows up unexpectedly at the hospital Steven works at and calls him constantly.
When he invites Martin to dinner, he begins dating his daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy), and when he invites Steven to his house, his mother (Alicia Silverstone) starts to seduce him. That’s when Steven starts to grow cautious of him.
Steven operated on Martin’s father and he died in the end, so Martin tells him of his prophecy, his family will die beginning with three stages, unless he kills one of them. When his two kids become paralyzed in the legs, the cycle has begun.
There are some elements I didn’t like about the film. One, and this might disgust some people, is the opening shot involving Steven performing open heart surgery. As visionary as it looks, it might make some people uncomfortable. And the other thing, and this is sort of an issue of mine, are some bad lines like “I’m not driving you to school” or “I can’t come.” I know that sounds ridiculous, but I don’t like it.
Still, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is entertaining with its amazing performances from Farrell, Nicole Kidman (as Steven’s wife), and Keoghan, nice zoom-ins, and dark tone that keeps you in your seat. Yorgos Lanthimos, who previously guided Farrell in last year’s “The Lobster,” has crafted another unusual picture with the kind of art and dark writing some of us like to see.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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