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IMDbPro

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

  • 20172017
  • RR
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
151K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,004
12
Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, and Barry Keoghan in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Trailer for The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Play trailer1:57
4 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaHorrorMystery
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
151K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,004
12
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
    • Writers
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
      • Efthymis Filippou
    • Stars
      • Barry G. Bernson
      • Herb Caillouet
      • Bill Camp
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
    • Writers
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
      • Efthymis Filippou
    • Stars
      • Barry G. Bernson
      • Herb Caillouet
      • Bill Camp
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 397Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 54 nominations

    Videos4

    The Killing of a Sacred Deer
    Trailer 1:57
    The Killing of a Sacred Deer
    "Playdate" Trailer
    Trailer 1:10
    "Playdate" Trailer
    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:26
    Teaser Trailer
    A Guide to the Films of Yorgos Lanthimos
    Clip 1:51
    A Guide to the Films of Yorgos Lanthimos

    Photos229

    Raffey Cassidy in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Josh Hartnett at an event for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Yorgos Lanthimos, Raffey Cassidy, Barry Keoghan, and Sunny Suljic at an event for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Colin Farrell at an event for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    Nicole Kidman at an event for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
    The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Barry G. Bernson
    Barry G. Bernson
    • Dr. Larry Banks
    • (as Barry Bernson)
    Herb Caillouet
    • Ed Thompson (Hospital Director)
    Bill Camp
    Bill Camp
    • Matthew Williams
    Raffey Cassidy
    Raffey Cassidy
    • Kim Murphy
    Denise Dal Vera
    Denise Dal Vera
    • Mary Williams
    Colin Farrell
    Colin Farrell
    • Steven Murphy
    Barry Keoghan
    Barry Keoghan
    • Martin
    Nicole Kidman
    Nicole Kidman
    • Anna Murphy
    Drew Logan
    • Principal
    Alicia Silverstone
    Alicia Silverstone
    • Martin's Mother
    Sunny Suljic
    Sunny Suljic
    • Bob Murphy
    Michael Trester
    • Elderly Man
    Ming Wang
    Ming Wang
    • Doctor (Abdominal)
    Dylan Keith Adams
    • Doctor at Conference and Event Dinner
    • (uncredited)
    Mike Ancas
    Mike Ancas
    • Bunraku Puppeteer
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Lee Bailey
    • Conference Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Denise Barone
    • Medical Conference Attendee
    • (uncredited)
    Lea Hutton Beasmore
    Lea Hutton Beasmore
    • Conference Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
    • Writers
      • Yorgos Lanthimos
      • Efthymis Filippou
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Heart surgery scenes in the film are real. They were filmed during an operation on a real patient who was undergoing quadruple bypass surgery which Colin Farrell attended.
    • Goofs
      When Martin talks about his father's favorite film, Barry Keoghan's Irish accent can be heard on the word "father"
    • Quotes

      Martin: You know, not long after my dad died, someone told me that I eat spaghetti the exact same way he did. They said what an extraordinary impression this fact had made on them. Look at the boy, look how he eats spaghetti. Exactly the same way his father did. He sticks his fork in. He twirls it around, around, around, around, around. Then he sticks it in his mouth. At that time, I thought I was the only one who ate spaghetti that way. Me and my dad. Later, of course, I found out that everyone eats spaghetti the exact same way. Exact same way, exact same way. This made me very upset. Very upset. Maybe even, um, more upset than when they told me he was dead. My dad.

      Martin: I don't know if what is happening is fair, but it's the only thing I can think of that's close to justice.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Jane Fonda/Nicole Kidman/Colin Farrell/Bryan Cranston/Matt Lucas/Niall Horan (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Stabat Mater D383: I. Jesus Christus schwebt am Kreuzel (Chor)
      Composed by Franz Schubert

      Performed by Michel Corboz

      Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Iphigenia in Aulis
    What a strange filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is. Had I not already seen "The Lobster" (2015) (and have since seen two of his earlier Greek productions), I probably would've been completely taken aback by this one, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." Like its predecessor, its characters seem to occupy some alternate reality entirely dominated by egocentrism, deviant sex and magical retaliatory justice. Again, the acting is intentionally stilted, and there seem to be archaic literary references. I found the eye-for-an-eye pun of "The Lobster" amusing, but the source of Ancient-to-Classical Greek mythology here is quite a treat for me. At university, I took a class, not unlike the daughter in this movie, that included reading the play "Iphigenia in Aulis" by Euripides and, then, viewing the 1977 film adaptation "Iphigenia" directed by Mihalis Kakogiannis. Unfortunately, the result in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is rather muddled.

    In the Greek myth, King Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, at the behest of the goddess Artemis to allow him and his troops to proceed on the warpath to fight the Trojans. In some versions, Iphigenia is replaced by a deer, hence the title of this movie. The reason I don't think the effects work as well here as they did in "The Lobster" is because whereas that movie took human shortcomings to absurd extremes, this one takes what was already by modern standards an absurd myth and attempts to make it modern and more ordinary. Gods are dead and replaced by doctors, and if there is a god, apparently, he's a pockmarked teenager seeking revenge for his dead father. I suppose a surgeon's wife role playing during sex as a patient under general anesthesia and a father recalling to his son the time he masturbated his father is more in line with some of the sexual perversity one finds in some Classical Greek literature, though. Yet, overall, it comes across as disjointed. If this were supposed to be a psychological thriller, it seems difficult to lure the spectator in without being able to identify with the characters--whereas this was unnecessary in the black comedy of "The Lobster" (and contradictory to the intent of the Greek movies). But, the stilted acting and illogical premise of the narrative works against identification. I don't think any amount of tense scoring and camera movement from distant perspectives can alleviate that--in a world where nothing is sacred.

    P.S. I still don't quite get the point of "Groundhog Day" (1993) as the film-within-the-film. Is it just because characters in both are prisoners of fate or something? I prefer the self-reflexivity of the director's prior "Dogtooth" (2009) and "Alps" (2011).
    helpful•94
    52
    • Cineanalyst
    • Dec 2, 2018

    FAQ2

    • Is it just me or does this movie heavily borrow cinematography style and even incidental music style from 'The Shining'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 3, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Ireland
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • A24 (United States)
      • Facebook (United Kingdom)
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • El sacrificio del ciervo sagrado
    • Filming locations
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
    • Production companies
      • Element Pictures
      • A24
      • Film4
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,291,901
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $115,120
      • Oct 22, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,027,336
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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