The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) - Movies Like Eyes Wide Shut | Filmiway
Why This Hits Deep
A clinical, cold nightmare about a wealthy family dismantling under the pressure of a supernatural ultimatum.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Experience
A surgeon's perfect life unravels when a teenage boy demands he sacrifice a family member to atone for a past mistake. Lanthimos's deadpan Greek tragedy builds to an impossible moral choice that shatters the nuclear family.
Cast & Crew
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan
Production Details
Budget: $4 million
Box Office: $11.1 million
Content Advisory
Contains: Mature Content
📊INTENSITY GRAPHIntensity GraphShows plot intensity
throughout the movie. Higher peaks
indicate more intense moments.
throughout the movie. Higher peaks
indicate more intense moments.
🧬CINEMATIC DNAGenre DNA BreakdownVisual representation of the movie's
genre composition. Larger segments
indicate dominant genre elements.
genre composition. Larger segments
indicate dominant genre elements.
Genre DNA Distribution
- Psychological: 50%
- Mystery: 30%
- Drama: 20%
Movie Intensity Arc
- Minute 22: The Diner (35/100 Intensity)
- Minute 48: The Paralysis (65/100 Intensity)
- Minute 78: The Hospital (72/100 Intensity)
- Minute 105: THE CHOICE (100/100 Intensity)
- Minute 118: Conclusion (68/100 Intensity)
Community Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions About The Killing of a Sacred DeerFAQ About The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Common questions about The Killing of a Sacred Deer and its exploration of secret societies, paranoia, and the occult elite.
How does the film represent 'Divine' or 'Elite' justice?
The teenager, Martin, acts as a god-like entity delivering a supernatural ultimatum. He imposes a set of rules that cannot be escaped by money or status. It mirrors the 'Red Cloak' scene in EWS, where an individual is suddenly held accountable by a higher power that operates on a logic far beyond his understanding.
Why is the dialogue so robotic and strange?
The stylized, cold dialogue emphasizes the emotional detachment of the high-society characters. Like the stilted, dream-like conversations in Eyes Wide Shut, it suggests that these people are so insulated by their wealth and 'perfect' lives that they have lost the ability to express genuine human emotion or empathy.
What is the connection between the surgeon and sacrifice?
Steven Murphy is a man of science who is forced to perform a ritualistic sacrifice. He must choose a member of his own family to die to pay for a past mistake. This 'Eye for an Eye' logic is ancient and occult, forcing the modern, elite man to return to the primal, violent roots of power and debt.
Does the ending suggest a 'Clean Slate'?
No. While the debt is paid and the family 'survives,' the final shot in the diner shows them completely hollowed out. They have lost their humanity to save their status. Like the final scene of EWS, it is a 'victory' that feels like a total defeat, proving that the elite world is built on a foundation of cold, calculated survival.
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