The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)

Sacred Deer

(Cert 5, 121 mins)

- Tj mckay

In The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos and co-writer Efthymis Filippou draw loosely on Greek mythology for a twisted and beguiling morality tale that tests one beleaguere­d father’s love to breaking point.

Revenge is served ice cold, garnished with shavings of creeping psychologi­cal dread, set to a discordant soundscape by Johnnie Burn that artfully juxtaposes classical music with an a cappella rendition of Ellie Goulding’s dancefloor hit Burn.

Like all of Lanthimos’ earlier work, the film is distinguis­hed by the quality of the writing and he skilfully employs staccato lines of dialogue to pique curiosity and set our nerves on edge.

“Our daughter started menstruati­ng last week,” a father casually mentions to a colleague during a black-tie gala dinner. “She was a little scared.”

Social niceties are gnawed to the bone.

Cardiac surgeon Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) meets with a mysterious 16- year- old called Martin (Barry Keoghan).

A few days later, Steven invites Martin to his home and introduces the guest to his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), 14-yearold daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and younger son Bob (Sunny Suljic).

Over dinner, Martin sombrely reveals that he lost his father in a car accident so now it is just him and his mother (Alicia Silverston­e).

Soon after, a strange affliction takes hold of the Murphy household.

“Dad, I can’t get up,” whimpers Bob one morning. “My legs are numb!”

The boy is rushed into hospital, where his condition worsens, and then Kim is struck down by the same debilitati­ng symptoms.

“I don’t know if what is happening is fair,” Martin enigmatica­lly informs Anna, “but it’s the only thing I can think of that’s close to justice.”

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer comes tantalisin­gly close to replicatin­g the macabre genius of Lanthimos’ earlier work, but falls short in the final act.

Farrell and Kidman deliver haunting performanc­es, the latter laying herself bare for disconcert­ing sex sequences, while Keoghan oozes righteous rage as a son on a mission to assuage grief with a sacrifice.

A blackly humorous scene with a shotgun is a jaw-dropping flourish that reminds us of the writer-director’s ability to smack gobs without straining credibilit­y.

Lanthimos gleefully plays with madness and almost nudges us over the edge of sanity with the characters.

★★★★★★★★★★

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 ??  ?? Colin Farrell as Steven Murphy.
Colin Farrell as Steven Murphy.

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