The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

Director:

Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers:

Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Stars:

Barry G. Bernson, Herb Caillouet, Bill Camp

4 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barry G. Bernson	...	Dr. Larry Banks
Herb Caillouet	...	Ed Thompson (Hospital Director)
Bill Camp	...	Matthew Williams
Raffey Cassidy	...	Kim Murphy
Denise Dal Vera	...	Mary Williams
Colin Farrell	...	Steven Murphy
Barry Keoghan	...	Martin
Nicole Kidman	...	Anna Murphy
Drew Logan	...	Principal
Alicia Silverstone	...	Martin's Mother
Sunny Suljic	...	Bob Murphy
Michael Trester	...	Elderly Man
Ming Wang	...	Doctor (Abdominal)

Storyline

After the untimely death of 16-year-old Martin's father on the operating table, little by little, a deep and empathetic bond begins to form between him and the respected cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Steven Murphy. At first, expensive gifts and then an invitation for dinner will soon earn the orphaned teenager the approval of Dr Steven's perfect family, even though right from the start, a vague, yet unnerving feeling overshadows Martin's honest intent. And then, unexpectedly, the idyllic family is smitten by a fierce and pitiless punishment, while at the same time, everything will start falling apart as the innocents have to suffer. In the end, as the sins of one burden the entire family, only an unimaginable and unendurable decision that demands a pure sacrifice can purge the soul. But to find catharsis, one must first admit the sin.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | surrealism | death curse | dysfunctional family | man rejects woman's advances | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

R for disturbing violent and sexual content, some graphic nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook [UK] Instagram [UK]

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

3 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$115,120, 22 October 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,291,901, 28 December 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Element Pictures,A24,Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Acting for the first time in his 67 years, Cincinnati native Michael Trester plays the Elderly Man in a scene with Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Bill Camp at a medical convention banquet.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Bob Murphy: [to Martin] Have you got hair under your arms yet?
Martin: Yes.
[pause]
Kim Murphy: I've just got my first period.

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Connections

Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Jane Fonda/Nicole Kidman/Colin Farrell/Bryan Cranston/Matt Lucas/Niall Horan (2017)

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Soundtracks

Enantiodromia
Composed by Jani Christou
Published by G. Schemer Ltd
Recording license courtesy of Jani Christou Archive
Performed by Oakland Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Gerhard Samuel

User Reviews

Even worse than The Lobster

If you're a fan of The Lobster then you'll probably love this. I'm not so when into this with reservations. My wife and I hated it. At the end of the movie we looked at each other and said "what was that all about". As far as I can see the movie had no point and to have your actors be as stilted and wooden as they possibly could be really made it worse. Yes I know it was a revenge story but the characters were so boring it made it a real slog to get through. As I said to my wife while I usually like to adhere to the 3 strikes and you're out in this case 2 is more than enough to keep me from ever seeing one if his movies again regardless of how many critics think it's wonderful.