a review of 圣鹿之死

The Killing of a Sacred Deer reminded me a little of Michael Haneke's brilliant piece of pitch-black humor Funny Games. And as is the case with Funny Games, a lot of people are offended by The Killing of a Sacred Deer over at IMDb, not recognizing the obvious absurdism. I have to add that I think Haneke's Funny Games (not the superfluous US remake) is a work of cinematic genius, while I think the films of Yorgos Lanthimos are entertaining, but a little too long-winded to my liking. Like The Lobster, I think The Killing of a Sacred Deer started strong and humorous, but the absurdist situations and conversations start feeling like a slightly repetitive gimmick as the novelty of the style wears off during the lengthy film. Audiovisually, I think The Killing of a Sacred Deer is great. Beautifully staged shots, with estranging symmetry and smooth camera movements reminiscent of The Shining, accompanied by an effective soundtrack, also similar to The Shining. Lastly, it was nice to see Alicia Silverstone back.