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| Scene from The Killing of a Sacred Deer |
In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.
Released: November 3, 2017
Release Number: 57
Directed By: Giorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Colin Farrell
Plot: 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.
In the year 2016, director Giorgos Lanthimos became the latest in a long line of international filmmakers to make a strong impression in the United States. With the A24-released film The Lobster, Lanthimos received acclaim along with box office success and an Oscar nomination for a screenplay. What's pretty devious is that with the good will he achieved over this one film he decided to a film that was easily his most disturbing and divisive. The Killing of a Sacred Deer was a film that was meant to make the audience uncomfortable from the very first shot, and the narrative only gets more disturbing from there. As a result, it's not a particularly revered film from the studio though it does help to cement Lanthimos as one of the most accomplished directors of the modern era, earning comparisons to Stanley Kubrick and the promise of the most cerebral, artistic films of the moment.
Unlike The Lobster, there's not much of a story to the creation of The Killing of a Sacred Deer. There is no big story to share about how Lanthimos created the narrative. The biggest inspiration for the film came from a question: why would a boy want to seek revenge for an older man? As much as Lanthimos claims that his work isn't based on the Greek crisis despite many finding his work to be contemporary Greek tragedy narratives. However, there's several references to Greek mythology, such as when a character wrote an essay on Iphigenia, who sacrificed for the sins of her father. With the clout he had built from The Lobster, he was able to hire Farrell without much hassle. In fact the actor would later note that he felt nauseous after reading the script. Plenty was clear about how the film was going to be darker and more atmospheric than his other films.
This was evident in the fact that the camera would move around as if a character lingering in the distance. Lanthimos intentionally made the sets feel pristine and clinical, if just to create a distance from something feeling natural. Even Farrell's home is a little too clean. With this eerie vibe, he places symbolism throughout the frame, including several scenes that feature deer imagery in the background. The antagonist, played by Barry Koeghan, was found walking around London. When he was cast, he found the role to be sympathetic as a man who is seeking approval of a father figure, which only helped to make the role far creepier. The film even begins with the first shot that they filmed. It was of an actual heart surgery in which a man was undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery that Farrell had attended. Lanthimos was going to present something else as the opening scene but was compelled by the imagery to the point that he left it as is. He felt it was the perfect way to introduce this dark narrative.
After finishing The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Farrell and Nicole Kidman would also work together on The Beguiled. Both films would compete at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Lanthimos' film would win the Best Screenplay award. From there, the anticipation to the film only grew as the first trailer was released. The promise of a new film from the director of The Lobster made many assume that it would be a box office hit, or at least on an indie scale. That isn't to say that it failed. It earned $6.1 million at the box office. However, it was quickly becoming clear that this wasn't going to be a runaway hit like The Lobster. even the poster, which juxtaposed a sickly image of Koeghan with Kidman and Farrell seemed a bit more gruesome than the friendlier imagery of The Lobster. It was such a divisive film that while the film missed out on major awards nominations, it would receive critics prizes as well as constant debates. Lanthimos has admitted that he likes his films to be interpretive, and this was one that would feature plenty to debate, including just how reprehensible Koeghan's character was.
All things considered, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was more of a critical success than its reputation would suggest. On the critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film would earn a strong 80%. David Simms of The Atlantic lead the general consensus of the film when suggested that "The Killing of a Sacred Deer is humane and satirical, horrifying and hilarious." Micheal Compton of Bowling Green Daily News also enjoyed how hard it was to classify by noting that it was "A Greek tragedy that refuses to be pinned down to a specific genre. It's a psychological horror film with many twists and turns, a dark and twisted ride that is absolutely fascinating." Still, it wasn't one that was easy for everyone. Those who didn't enjoy its dark tone sided with Calvin Wilson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch who simply responded "This is the feel-bad film of the year. Recommend it to someone you hate." The film was so disturbing that Kidman would later comment to the press that she didn't allow her children to see the movie.
For what it was worth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was a film that left a strong impression of who Lanthimos would be as a filmmaker. For his next film, The Favourite, Lanthimos wouldn't be working with A24 and ironically found his best reviews of his English-language films yet. Still, it was a film with plenty of disturbing subtext and pacing that would make it an acquired taste at best. Still, it was another oddball Fall release for A24 in 2017, and one that only added weight to their surprise prestige. With that said, everything that came before was no match for what was about to come. With a highly anticipated directorial debut from an indie darling, Lady Bird was a film that defied the odds and became one of A24's most successful films to date, becoming one of their highest grossing films as well as guaranteeing the studio a place in the Best Picture race at the Oscars. For as divisive as The Killing of a Sacred Deer could be seen, Lady Bird was more than enough to connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
Up Next: Lady Bird (2017)
In the year 2016, director Giorgos Lanthimos became the latest in a long line of international filmmakers to make a strong impression in the United States. With the A24-released film The Lobster, Lanthimos received acclaim along with box office success and an Oscar nomination for a screenplay. What's pretty devious is that with the good will he achieved over this one film he decided to a film that was easily his most disturbing and divisive. The Killing of a Sacred Deer was a film that was meant to make the audience uncomfortable from the very first shot, and the narrative only gets more disturbing from there. As a result, it's not a particularly revered film from the studio though it does help to cement Lanthimos as one of the most accomplished directors of the modern era, earning comparisons to Stanley Kubrick and the promise of the most cerebral, artistic films of the moment.
Unlike The Lobster, there's not much of a story to the creation of The Killing of a Sacred Deer. There is no big story to share about how Lanthimos created the narrative. The biggest inspiration for the film came from a question: why would a boy want to seek revenge for an older man? As much as Lanthimos claims that his work isn't based on the Greek crisis despite many finding his work to be contemporary Greek tragedy narratives. However, there's several references to Greek mythology, such as when a character wrote an essay on Iphigenia, who sacrificed for the sins of her father. With the clout he had built from The Lobster, he was able to hire Farrell without much hassle. In fact the actor would later note that he felt nauseous after reading the script. Plenty was clear about how the film was going to be darker and more atmospheric than his other films.
This was evident in the fact that the camera would move around as if a character lingering in the distance. Lanthimos intentionally made the sets feel pristine and clinical, if just to create a distance from something feeling natural. Even Farrell's home is a little too clean. With this eerie vibe, he places symbolism throughout the frame, including several scenes that feature deer imagery in the background. The antagonist, played by Barry Koeghan, was found walking around London. When he was cast, he found the role to be sympathetic as a man who is seeking approval of a father figure, which only helped to make the role far creepier. The film even begins with the first shot that they filmed. It was of an actual heart surgery in which a man was undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery that Farrell had attended. Lanthimos was going to present something else as the opening scene but was compelled by the imagery to the point that he left it as is. He felt it was the perfect way to introduce this dark narrative.
After finishing The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Farrell and Nicole Kidman would also work together on The Beguiled. Both films would compete at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Lanthimos' film would win the Best Screenplay award. From there, the anticipation to the film only grew as the first trailer was released. The promise of a new film from the director of The Lobster made many assume that it would be a box office hit, or at least on an indie scale. That isn't to say that it failed. It earned $6.1 million at the box office. However, it was quickly becoming clear that this wasn't going to be a runaway hit like The Lobster. even the poster, which juxtaposed a sickly image of Koeghan with Kidman and Farrell seemed a bit more gruesome than the friendlier imagery of The Lobster. It was such a divisive film that while the film missed out on major awards nominations, it would receive critics prizes as well as constant debates. Lanthimos has admitted that he likes his films to be interpretive, and this was one that would feature plenty to debate, including just how reprehensible Koeghan's character was.
All things considered, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was more of a critical success than its reputation would suggest. On the critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film would earn a strong 80%. David Simms of The Atlantic lead the general consensus of the film when suggested that "The Killing of a Sacred Deer is humane and satirical, horrifying and hilarious." Micheal Compton of Bowling Green Daily News also enjoyed how hard it was to classify by noting that it was "A Greek tragedy that refuses to be pinned down to a specific genre. It's a psychological horror film with many twists and turns, a dark and twisted ride that is absolutely fascinating." Still, it wasn't one that was easy for everyone. Those who didn't enjoy its dark tone sided with Calvin Wilson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch who simply responded "This is the feel-bad film of the year. Recommend it to someone you hate." The film was so disturbing that Kidman would later comment to the press that she didn't allow her children to see the movie.
For what it was worth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was a film that left a strong impression of who Lanthimos would be as a filmmaker. For his next film, The Favourite, Lanthimos wouldn't be working with A24 and ironically found his best reviews of his English-language films yet. Still, it was a film with plenty of disturbing subtext and pacing that would make it an acquired taste at best. Still, it was another oddball Fall release for A24 in 2017, and one that only added weight to their surprise prestige. With that said, everything that came before was no match for what was about to come. With a highly anticipated directorial debut from an indie darling, Lady Bird was a film that defied the odds and became one of A24's most successful films to date, becoming one of their highest grossing films as well as guaranteeing the studio a place in the Best Picture race at the Oscars. For as divisive as The Killing of a Sacred Deer could be seen, Lady Bird was more than enough to connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
Up Next: Lady Bird (2017)
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