Isaiah Chaisson

“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is an absolute masterpiece. It is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen and it shook me to my core. The film creates an atmosphere of discomfort that is accented perfectly by the cast's delicately rigid acting, and it plunges you in so deep that it draws a direct connection with your soul. The filmmaking evokes an ethereal feeling that displaces you completely, and then just when you assume it can't get more disheartening, it does. It uses emotions like longing and dissatisfaction juxtaposed with the characters feelings of dread, guilt, and hopelessness. The movie is so immersive that its fittingly dire climax strikes you almost as powerfully as if it was happening to your own family, thus it transcends media and enters a realm of personal experience that one can only occasionally harvest from fiction. It breaks down the wall between the viewer and the viewed. With metaphors deeply rooted in God complexes and the inability to control everything, it takes you to corners of your mind you've never been, and shines a piercing light on the extreme imbalances of the human condition.