Yorgos Lanthimos is one of my favourite directors, perhaps even my favourite. His surrealist style is bold and undeniably him, as it is both humorously absurd whilst also containing a deep-rooted and complex message. The Lobster would be Lanthimos' first English language film and is arguably his best to date, the debate being whether Dogtooth is better. Now Lanthimos has moved from England to America with his second English language film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The film tells the story of Steven, a surgeon who befriends a disturbed teenage boy only to find himself with an impossible ultimatum on his hands. The Killing of the Sacred Deer is very much a Lanthimos film, however, it doesn't reach the heights of Lanthimos' best work, and feels a little too much like an attempt of commercialisation.
Don't get me wrong, Lanthimos' niche surreal style is ever-present in The Killing of the Sacred Deer. The script is filled equally with Lanthimos' hilariously direct dialogue and pointless high level of detail in that dialogue. As well as this, Lanthimos' signature surreal visuals glisten through the films stunning cinematography. Cinematographer, Thimios Bakatakis, changes up his style, favouring the fish eye lens, resulting in a fantastic sense of atmosphere and an almost CCTV feel to the film. Additionally, the film's score works beautifully with the visuals in the film, especially with one specific gruesome metaphor. It is by far Lanthimos' best use of sound to date. All of this comes together to create Lanthimos' auteur style to which I've come to expect in his films.
This all being said, the Lanthimos stamp isn't as prominent in the Killing of a Sacred Deer. Although there are surreal moments, they are few in comparison to Lanthimos' entire filmography. This is definitely Lanthimos' most accessible film, as the story is very simple and easy to follow, however, this is where the film falters for me, as a fan of Lanthimos' bold approach. The surreal images in the Killing of a Scared Deer are few and far between, and unfortunately, aren't replaced with anything of paralleling interest. This is a real shame as it's the off-kilter visuals that I've come to want, love and expect of Lanthimos' work. I can see many being bored of this film as the entertainment comes from the experimentation. As I've already said, the story is straightforward and the surreal images are few, therefore the film is rather linear and "normal" for the most part. I can't help but feel that Lanthimos is attempting to crack America with this film, almost abandoning his style along the way. He is attempting to make his niche style mainstream which is a paradox in itself. I can almost feel Lanthimos' loss of self-confidence, the pressure to make something more conventional and realistic must get to him immensely, but his attempt to become a modern-day David Lynch falls short. Instead, he's shooting himself in the foot
Overall, the Killing of a Sacred Deer is disappointing by Lanthimos' standards. As a film it's great, but as a fan of the Greek director, I was let down by the lack of abstract and experimentation. The story is just too simple for Lanthimos and the film just feels to me like a crisis of self. However, if Lanthimos' filmography wasn't already so rich with abstract ideas and experimental images, then I would probably find myself enjoying The Killing of a Sacred Deer a lot more than I did. This is a multiple watch film and I look forward to giving The Killing of a Sacred Deer a better chance.
Don't get me wrong, Lanthimos' niche surreal style is ever-present in The Killing of the Sacred Deer. The script is filled equally with Lanthimos' hilariously direct dialogue and pointless high level of detail in that dialogue. As well as this, Lanthimos' signature surreal visuals glisten through the films stunning cinematography. Cinematographer, Thimios Bakatakis, changes up his style, favouring the fish eye lens, resulting in a fantastic sense of atmosphere and an almost CCTV feel to the film. Additionally, the film's score works beautifully with the visuals in the film, especially with one specific gruesome metaphor. It is by far Lanthimos' best use of sound to date. All of this comes together to create Lanthimos' auteur style to which I've come to expect in his films.
This all being said, the Lanthimos stamp isn't as prominent in the Killing of a Sacred Deer. Although there are surreal moments, they are few in comparison to Lanthimos' entire filmography. This is definitely Lanthimos' most accessible film, as the story is very simple and easy to follow, however, this is where the film falters for me, as a fan of Lanthimos' bold approach. The surreal images in the Killing of a Scared Deer are few and far between, and unfortunately, aren't replaced with anything of paralleling interest. This is a real shame as it's the off-kilter visuals that I've come to want, love and expect of Lanthimos' work. I can see many being bored of this film as the entertainment comes from the experimentation. As I've already said, the story is straightforward and the surreal images are few, therefore the film is rather linear and "normal" for the most part. I can't help but feel that Lanthimos is attempting to crack America with this film, almost abandoning his style along the way. He is attempting to make his niche style mainstream which is a paradox in itself. I can almost feel Lanthimos' loss of self-confidence, the pressure to make something more conventional and realistic must get to him immensely, but his attempt to become a modern-day David Lynch falls short. Instead, he's shooting himself in the foot
Overall, the Killing of a Sacred Deer is disappointing by Lanthimos' standards. As a film it's great, but as a fan of the Greek director, I was let down by the lack of abstract and experimentation. The story is just too simple for Lanthimos and the film just feels to me like a crisis of self. However, if Lanthimos' filmography wasn't already so rich with abstract ideas and experimental images, then I would probably find myself enjoying The Killing of a Sacred Deer a lot more than I did. This is a multiple watch film and I look forward to giving The Killing of a Sacred Deer a better chance.
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