He’s got issues. Serious psychological issues. But serious psychological issues can, for all practical purposes, mean anything. Also, how do you hold someone with serious psychological issues responsible for what they do? How do you reason with them? How do you separate the part about nature from the part about nurture?
And how serious? As in, for example, dangerous…life threatening?
Then you get to this part: What’s it all mean? Only here as one reviewer put it, “it’s one of those movies that you need to think about and even by thinking about it you may still not be able to understand it.”
Let’s just say that, as with so many things relating to complex psychological interactions between and among complex human beings, it’s all open to interpretation. And [apparently] it helps to have a familiarity with Ancient Greek mythology. Iphigenia and Agamemnon in particular.
Or, as another reviewer put it:
This primitive drama involves a heart surgeon Steven Murphy and his ophthalmologist wife Anna. That is, the elemental force erupts in the seat of modern science, rationalism, humanity. The professional curers are profoundly afflicted. Their reason is helpless, irrelevant, once the old pagan gods have been stirred to ire.
I liked this film in particular because it revolves around a subject that I am rather obsessed with myself: moral ambiguity in a [presumably] No God world: birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/10/29/ … acred-deer
Only here it is all intertwined in a world in which “the Gods” are ever hovering up there or out there somewhere.
Be sure to click on the special feature: An Impossible Conundrum
And let’s not forget that this from the director of The Lobster above.
IMDb
[b]Heart surgery scenes in the film are real. They were filmed during an operation on a real patient who was undergoing quadruple bypass surgery which Colin Farrell attended.
The film’s title comes from the ending of the tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides.
When Steven is at the school for the parent teacher conference, the principal tells him that Kim wrote a paper on Iphigenia for which she got an A, and that was read aloud to the class. Iphigenia, in Greek mythology, is the daughter of Agamemnon. She who was to be sacrificed for the sins of her father.[/b]
trivia at IMDb: imdb.com/title/tt5715874/tri … =ttqu_sa_1
at wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killi … acred_Deer
trailer: youtu.be/CQFdGfwChtw
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER [2017]
Written in part and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
[b]Steven [speaking to an audience]: A full 40 years have passed since the German cardiologist Andreas Gruentzig performed the first coronary angioplasty, on September 16th, 1977. Today, that first patient is still alive and well. Doctor Gruentzig, however, had an unfortunate accident and met with an untimely end. In short, he is one of those rare cases where we can say, the operation was a success, but unfortunately the doctor didn’t make it.
…
Bob: Have you got hair under your arms yet?
Martin: Yes.
Kim: I just got my first period.
…
Martin [to Kim]: I’d prefer if it was just the two of us. I get nervous around dogs in case they get into a fight with another dog. The idea of separating dogs fighting scares me.
…
Anna [Martin’s mother to Steven]: Can I take a closer look at your hands?
…
Anna: Don’t worry, he’s definitely asleep. There’s nothing to be afraid of. In any case, he wants this as much as I do.
Steven: I have to go.
Anna: I’m sorry if I made you feel awkward, I didn’t mean to. But I won’t let you leave until you’ve tried my tart.
…
Martin: My chest, it hurts. My heart. I’m worried.
Steven: There’s no need for you to be worried.
Martin: I’m worried because it’s hereditary.
Steve: You’re too young to be worried.
Martin: That’s what you said about my father. He didn’t smoke. He ate a very healthy diet. He went swimming almost every day. He should have come out of that surgery alive, but he died.[/b]
We can see where this is going.
[b]Martin [to Steven]: Okay, you do have more hair than I do but not three times more. Me and my mom thought it would be nice if you came by for dinner tonight. We could watch the rest of the movie. Does eight sound good for you?
…
Martin: Can I tell you a secret? But don’t tell her I told you. I think she, I think she likes you. I mean, she’s attracted to you. But she says that’s not true, but it is, I’m sure. And, to be honest, I think you’re perfect for each other. You’d make a great couple. She’s got a great body. You’ve seen it for yourself. She lost weight and she has a really great figure.
Steven: Your mother is very beautiful, but the idea that she and I could ever be together is ludicrous. Let me remind you, I’m a married man. And I love my wife very much and my kids, and that we are very happy together.[/b]
Too little, too late.
[b]Matthew [a colleague]: I forgot to tell you, I saw that boy yesterday. Your daughter’s schoolmate.
Steven: Martin?
Matthew: Yes, right, Martin. Couldn’t remember his name. He was hanging around your car. It looked like he was waiting for you. I tried to say hello but he pretended not to see me.
Steven: That’s impossible. Can’t have been him.
Matthew: I could be wrong but it looked a lot like him.
…
Kim: Dad, do you know who I saw today?
Steven: Who, darling?
Kim: Martin.
Steven: Martin who?
Kim: Martin, that boy who came over here the other day. The son of your ex-patient. He brought me back from choir practice on his friend’s motorcycle. He’s really funny. I laughed so hard my ribs hurt.
…
Steven: Robert, do you have any idea what time it is? Get up and get dressed.
Bob: I can’t get up.
Steven: You have 10 minutes to get washed, dressed and eat your breakfast. I’m not going to drive you to school and neither is your mother.
Bob: I can’t get up.
Steven: Bob, get up and get dressed and stop messing around.
Bob: Dad. My legs. They’re numb. I can’t move them. I can’t stand up.
…
Martin [whispering in Steven’s ear]: Come to the cafeteria upstairs. Come whenever you can.
Steven: I don’t think I’ll have time today, as you might imagine. We’ll talk some other time. Martin: No, today, to the cafeteria. Just for 10 minutes, don’t stand me up like the last time.
…
Martin: I won’t keep you much longer, even though you have been devoting less and less time to me lately. I wanted to say one more thing, I’m really sorry about Bob.
Steven: It’s nothing serious.
Martin: No, it is. That critical moment we both knew would come some day? Here it is. That time is now. You know what I mean.
Steven: No, I don’t. Listen, Martin, I don’t have time for this.
Martin: Okay, I’m gonna explain this very quickly so that I don’t hold you up. Yes, it’s exactly what you think. Just like you killed a member of my family, now you’ve gotta kill a member of your family to balance things out, understand? I can’t tell you who to kill, of course. That’s for you to decide, but if you don’t do it, they will all get sick and die. Bob will die, Kim will die, your wife will die. They will all get sick and die. One, paralysis of the limbs. Two, refusal of food to the point of starvation. Three, bleeding from the eyes, four, death. One, two, three, four. Don’t worry, you won’t get sick. You just gotta stay calm, that’s all. There, I said it, as quickly as I could. I hope I haven’t kept you too long. One more thing. I’ll be very quick. You only have a few days to decide who to kill. Once stage three kicks in…You remember what stage three is? It’s bleeding from the eyes, that’s stage three. Once the bleeding happens, it’s only a matter of hours before they die. Okay, there, I have nothing more to say. Unless you’ve, unless you’ve any questions?
…
Steven: Anna, if Bob was near-sighted, or had a cataract or glaucoma then your opinion really would be valuable. But, thankfully, Bob’s eyesight is perfect. And I can honestly say that if he ever needed glasses you’d be the first person I’d consult. But right now the boy can’t eat and he’s paralyzed in both legs, so, I’m sorry, I’m not remotely interested in your medical opinion.
…
Steven: I’ll tell you a secret, something I’ve never told you before. Then you’ll tell me one. And whoever tells the best secret wins, okay? When I was your age I’d only just started masturbating. And I’d only just started ejaculating. Only a little, barely a drop. I was worried that I had some kind of a problem because at school I’d heard all sorts of stories. Then one day, when my father had had a lot to drink and my brothers were out and he was sleeping in the bedroom, I crept inside, put my hand on his penis and started stroking it until he ejaculated. The sheets were covered in sperm. I got scared and ran out. I’ve never told anyone that before. Now it’s your turn to tell me a secret.
…
Steven: Bob, if all this is just an act, you should know that if you tell me now, I won’t punish you. And neither will your mother. We won’t be angry with you either.
Bob: It’s not an act.
Steven: But if it is an act and you don’t stop this stupid joke right now, your punishment won’t just be no TV for two months. I will take my electric razor and I will shave your head and make you eat your hair. I mean it, I will literally make you eat your hair. I’m not kidding.
Bob: It’s not an act.
…
Steven [pounding on the door]: I know you’re in there! Open the door or I will smash it down! Martin! Open the door or I will smash it down and I will fuck you and your mother just the way you wanted! If anything happens to my kids or my wife, you’ll die in prison! Do you know that? You’ll die in prison!
…
Anna: Had you been drinking when you operated on his father?
Steven: Only a little. That had nothing to do with the outcome. A surgeon never kills a patient. An anesthesiologist can kill a patient but a surgeon never can.
…
Kim: Don’t be scared, Mom. Don’t get hysterical. It’s not that tragic. Sometimes your body hurts from not moving and you can’t sleep. That’s all. The important thing is to make sure that everything you need is within reach. That’s all. You’ll see. You won’t be able to move either. But you’ll get used to it.
…
Anna: If my husband made a mistake, if out of negligence or, I don’t know what, he caused this tragic thing to happen, I don’t understand why I should have to pay the price. Why my children should have to pay the price.
Martin: You know, not long after my dad died, someone told me that I eat spaghetti the exact same way he did. They said what an extraordinary impression this fact had made on them. Look at the boy, look how he eats spaghetti. Exactly the same way his father did. He sticks his fork in. He twirls it around, around, around, around, around. Then he sticks it in his mouth. At that time, I thought I was the only one who ate spaghetti that way. Me and my dad. Later, of course, I found out that everyone eats spaghetti the exact same way. Exact same way, exact same way. This made me very upset. Very upset. Maybe even, um, more upset than when they told me he was dead. My dad. I don’t know if what is happening is fair, but it’s the only thing I can think of that’s close to justice.
…
Anna [giving him a hand job]: Had Steven been drinking?
Matthew: Yes.
Anna: Can it be considered his mistake?
Matthew: Yes. It wasn’t mine, that’s for sure. You know an anesthesiologist is never to blame for the bad outcome of an operation. The surgeon is always responsible.
…
Steven: This meat is delicious. You were right, after all. The children are much better here. I was even thinking I might take them to the beach house, for a few days. A little fresh air and a change of scenery might do us all good. Do you know what I’ve been craving? Mashed potato. Why don’t you make some tomorrow?
Anna: You have beautiful hands. I never noticed before. Everyone’s been telling me lately what beautiful hands you have and now I can see for myself, nice and clean. But so what if they’re beautiful? They’re lifeless. Sometimes Steven, you’re just an incompetent man who goes on and on saying stupid things like, “Let’s do a scan. Let’s do an ultrasound. Let’s wear brown socks. Let’s make mashed potatoes. Let’s go to the beach house.”
Steven: Excuse me?
Anna: Our two children are dying in the other room, but yes, I can make you mashed potatoes tomorrow.
Steven: Please don’t talk to me that way.
Anna: If you don’t like it, why don’t you go and live with Martin’s mother? I’ll bet she’ll talk to you better.
Steven: You wanted the kids to come home and they came home. What else you want me to do?
Anna: Something to put an end to all of this. That’s what I want. Can you do that? You do realize Steven, we’re in this situation because of you.
Steven: So what do you suggest? Tell me. Oh wait, I know. I’ve got it. There’s a way we can put a stop to all of this. All we need to do is find the tooth of a baby crocodile, the blood of a pigeon and the pubes of a virgin. And then we just have to burn them all before sunset. Let me see, do we have any spare teeth lying around? Let me see, do we have any spare teeth lying around? Teeth, pubes? Nope, nothin’ here. There’s nothing in here either. Let me see, nothing here. Pubes, teeth? Nothing in this box either. Where are they? I’m sure they were here earlier, I put them here myself. Who’s been moving things around? It’s unbelievable. I don’t suppose you’ve got any pubes I can have, by any chance? Oh, I forgot, you don’t have any left. We don’t have any of the things we need.
…
Steven [to Anna motioning to Martin, beaten up and tied to a chair in the basement]: You remember Martin, don’t you? He came by for a play-date. I told him the kids were feeling a little unwell and he’ll have to stay here until they get better.
…
Steven: Do you think your mother is proud of you, Martin? Do you think she is happy that her beloved son is a murderer?
…
Martin: Don’t you understand that you’re wasting time? And you don’t have much time left.
Steven: I said stop talking.
Martin: Steven, it’s gonna be better once it’s done. Start over, clean slate. Don’t you get it? Sometimes I think you’re naive but you can’t be naive. You’re a man of science, you can’t be an idiot. But, if I’d only just met you, I would seriously question your depth of judgment.
[Steven punches him in the face]
Martin: I just want, want to show you an example, that’s all. Just one little example to show you what I mean.
…
Steven [pointing a rifle at Martin]: Now, Martin, you’ll know what it’s like to die. What it’s like when your head cracks open and your brains blow out.
Anna: Don’t shoot him.
Martin: And then? Shoot me, then what? Answer.
Steven: I’ll bury you in the yard! And you’ll rot, that’s what.
Martin: You won’t be able to explain it. You won’t understand how it could have happened. You’ll say, “But I only killed one person. How come four people are dead? I only shot one.” So if you’re gonna dig a hole in the yard, better make it a big one.[/b]
Now things really get surreal. Cue Euripides.
[b]Kim: Bob, something terrible happened yesterday. I lost the MP player that Martin gave me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve lost two MP players in the last 10 days. So I’d like to ask you a favor. Can I have your MP player when you’re dead?
…
School principal: The boy’s very good at math and physics. Kim, on the other hand, apart from her natural aptitude for music, is very good at literature and history, areas in which Bob lags behind. She wrote a brilliant essay on the tragedy of Iphigenia which she read out in class. She received an A plus.
Steven: What about their behavior in class?
Principal: They’re both a little restless, I’d say. Equally so. I mean, I’ve had the occasional complaint from their teachers about some minor misdemeanors but they’ve never been rude to any of the staff. In any case, if they had ever acted out, we would have told you about it.
Steven: Do you especially like one of them more than the other? If you had to choose between them, which would say is the best?
Principal: That’s a difficult question. I’m not sure I can give you an answer. I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.
…
Martin: Anna, if you’re gonna do something, you’d better be fast. The boy is about to die.
…
Anna [to Steven]: I believe the most logical thing, no matter how harsh this may sound, is to kill a child. Because we can have another child. I still can and you can. And if you can’t, we can try IVF, but I’m sure we can.
…
Kim [to her parents]: I’m sorry for what I did tonight. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was only thinking about myself and no one else. That was wrong of me. I was frightened. I shouldn’t have been. Let me be the one who atones for your sins, Dad. Kill me right here in front of your eyes so that you can be sure that I die, in case some fate spares me at the last moment. Kill me right here in front of you and leave me with the ultimate joy of saving my own mother and beloved brother from certain death. Mom, tell him. Dad, please. I would do anything for you. I would even die for you and here’s my chance to prove it.
…
Anna: I let him go.
Steven: What are you talking about?
Anna: He’s not downstairs. I let him go.
Steven: Why would you do that? Why did you let him go? Answer me!
Anna: Are you a complete idiot? It’s not gonna make any difference, Steven. It’s not gonna solve anything, we both know that.
…
Kim: Do your legs hurt, Mom, do they feel numb? Does your back hurt, has it started yet?
…
Kim: Dad! Quick. Bob’s dying! Dad! Bob’s dying!!
…
Steven: Bob’s eyes are bleeding. Come to the living room.
Anna: Now?
Steven: Yes. Now.
Anna: Steven, where are the children?
Steven: They’re already there.
Anna: I think I’m gonna wear that black dress that you like.
Steven: Wear whatever you want. Just hurry.[/b]