Comments on: The Killing of a Sacred Deer Discussed and Explained

By: Aliona

Aliona — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:42:29 +0000

Hi Taylor, thank you for your interpretation. I didn’t read all the comments so apologies if somebody has already mentioned what I want to say. I am pretty sure that, due to his egocentric personality, Steven missed the whole point of what Martin was trying to propose to him, although Martin did point it out very clearly: he wanted Steven to abandon his wife and children and to substitute Martin’s deceased father. That would be a proper sacrifice and that way Stephen would avoid the second stage – the punishment. I was really hoping that Anne (the wife), after getting to this point, would convince Stephen to do it or she would arrange it herself by leaving him. That way they would avoid Bob’s death. The sad thing is that both Anne and the kids are devotedly submissive to this blunt and cruel man and each of them is ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of his future.

By: Leabug

Leabug — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 13:34:53 +0000

I tried to read most comments but there were just too many. Perhaps I will come back and read more at a later time. For now, I would like to state, just in case anyone else hasn’t already, why, for the love of cows, didn’t these idiotic parents do more to save their children? Why would Stephen want to keep this a secret, especially from Anna? Why would Anna want to keep this a secret after she learned most of the truth? Why couldn’t she go to the police and tell them about this psycho trying, or at the very least, threatening to kill her children, the whole family? Better yet, why wouldn’t they both just simply kidnap Martin and his mother at the same time? This psychopath was not just weird, but he also had an oddly and extra weird obsession with his own mother. The parents might have gotten what they wanted out of Martin by torturing and threatening to kill his mother right in front of him if he didn’t put a stop to whatever he was doing to the children. Honestly, I think this would have made for a much better ending to this yawn-inducing, painstakingly boring movie. Once the parents got him to either reverse the “curse” on the children or come clean about a possible toxin so they could save the children, they could have just killed Martin and his mother, buried them in the backyard and moved on with their pathetically mundane and materialistic lives. I mean, I get it. It doesn’t fit with the whole Grecian playwright of Euripides tragedy, but so what? Martin is just as much a narcissist as Stephen and, unfortunately, that’s only one of his many pitfalls. From Martin’s inability to admit that, despite Dr. Murphy’s shortcomings and obvious ethical negligence, his father’s death was nothing more than an accident, albeit tragic, to his insatiable desire to demand that a father choose which child to murder in order to satisfy his own narcissistic need for revenge. I won’t waste a lot of time on this point, but I want to make clear why I believe this to be an accident. I know that people who drink a lot and often, can very much still possess all of their faculties after only two drinks. In much the same way, a cancer patient who’s physically addicted to opiates can take 15 mg oxycodone four times a day and still drive a car safely. Regardless of my opinion, even the worst-case scenario does not quantify murder. So let’s not forget that Martin is clearly no saint. He has many shortcomings in this tragedian tale, too, and whether mathematically equal to Stephen’s, is beside the point. As the saying goes, one should not throw stones at glass houses. My deepest apologies to those who liken Martin to a god. I see him more as a devil, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or quite simply, an evil person who is clearly inept at conflict resolution. Besides, I can’t possibly imagine any God who would prefer children to be punished, tortured and consequently die over actually punishing the man who committed the wrongdoing. I mean seriously. Let’s be real here. Stephen inevitably escaped all consequences and suffered no real punishment at all. He showed zero signs of any real guilt or remorse throughout. He never once apologized or took any responsibility for anything he did wrong. If anything at all, he did the complete opposite by continually pointing blame everywhere else and at everyone else. He didn’t even have the common decency to be utterly disturbed at having to murder one of his family members, let alone one of his very own children. The only time Stephen cried out felt more believable as a cry out of self-pity rather than a cry of the impending loss of a child. It’s a shame he didn’t suffer the way he rightfully deserved.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 00:09:01 +0000

Everyone here seems to miss the fact that Martin isn’t responsible for what is happening to Steven’s children. Martin just knows “the rules” of their universe. He is only telling Steven what will happen, how the universe will balance itself out: either Steven kills a member of his family to repay the debt of his negligence, or the universe will take all of them. He has no control over it. It’s just how things are. That’s why the daughter ‘knows’. That why the mother says there is “no point” going to the police. That why Martin reminds Steven that Steven “knew this day would come” and what he is about to say is “exactly what you think”.

People stop trying to appeal to Martin because he has no power. Steven has the power, as he is the one who needs to balance the universe. Which is why the son cuts his hair, the daughter tells her dad she loves him, and the wife stops blaming Steven and gives herself to him.

We know the universe is a different one to ours, as the people communicate in such an alien manner. And this universe therefore has different rules. The rules are spelled out by Martin when he reminds Steven of what he must do. Martin is just a passive victim waiting for the universe to balance itself. He likes Steven, even hopes he will enter a relationship with his mum after the rebalancing, there is no animosity there.

The film uses an alien universe as a canvass to explore sacrifice and karma.

By: Andie

Andie — Sat, 22 May 2021 20:24:14 +0000

This is so stupid. IT’S A MOVIE. It has nothing to do with God, The United States or Greek Mythology. First of all, NO HOSPITAL would cover up a malpractice suit if a doctor were found to be drunk (or tipsy) during a surgery. I seriously doubt it would even get that far as too many nurses or any others in the operating room would never allow a surgeon near a patient if he/she is compromised in any way. Doctors are not God…but they try their best to save lives. Sometimes $hit happens.

So here is what I got out of the movie. Sure there is some regret on the part of the doctor that he lost a patient. He extended a concerned hand out to Martin (knowing he had psychological problems). The doctor said Martin had psychological problems, but I think he confused that with “special”. Special meaning he had a talent, as most “special” children are gifted in other ways. If you watch carefully, about the time Martin is introduced to the family, the kids are addicted to their MP3 players. Then I immediately detect that Martin is dropping words, making gestures and repeating things. That is the art of MANCHURIAN. It is a series of very powerful suggestions and actions. I also believe he may have put SOMETHING in that damn lemonade. He told the doctor, in specific order, what would happen to his children if he didn’t kill one of them or his wife. By using cell phones and most likely pre-recorded messages on their MP3 players, Martin was able to get into the children’s psyche…but never the mother (until later in the garage). When the daughter spoke to Martin on the phone in the hospital, he told her to walk to the window, and she did. Once her cell phone was taken away from her AND she lost her player…her condition didn’t worsen. Bob was wearing a headset when his eyes started bleeding. He was listening to something. Martin’s mother acted very weird as well. No doubt he tainted her lemonade and made suggestions to her, too. (Who acts like that, normally?) What doctor in his right mind would open his shirt and do the crazy stuff he did, without being manipulated through suggestion by Martin? The phone calls would come and then the doctor would obey. Martin was controlling everything. He got to the mother over several trips down to the basement/garage where he was being held. He even got her to bring the children down so he could reinforce his suggestions.

I think it was a pretty powerful mind trick played on a family by a special kid who couldn’t come to terms with “loss”. What I don’t understand is how this family is supposed to explain the death of their child not from a disease…but from a bullet wound in his chest! The ending was ridiculous for the director to leave it as such. Maybe they left the restaurant and then the good doctor turned himself in to the authorities.

By: John Brinkman

John Brinkman — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 02:44:01 +0000

I have to add the importance of considering that Steven is not the only one in the story to make a sacrifice. first, i felt that Nicole and the daughter may have had sex with him or treated him as a GOD, and the boy loved the attention in that way. But the story does indicate a “sexual element” i think that the boy feels and wants from Steven. Steven cannot be a sacrifice, he cannot kill himself for the members of his family. the boy wants him, loves him and can’t allow that as a possibility. i think the writers/ director would have the boy make clear that Steven killing himself was an option. it doesn’t make sense with the theme of the story, in my opinion. i think the “strangeness” of the boy and he IS damn weird pertains to the immaturity of the boy in that he feels sexual attraction towards Steven. Do we even KNOW if the boy has even had sex in his life? it’s an important part of the mysterious nature of his agenda with Steven.

By: John Brinkman

John Brinkman — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 02:31:06 +0000

Good Lord. where to begin? i want to ask, first, was there a homosexual dynamic between the doctor and the boy? this has been mentioned before in different reviews. it makes sense, though. in the first half, the boy looks longingly at the doctor, the scene when he takes off his shirt to be “checked out”. the boy naked looks like he just walked out of a teenage porn film. we know the other possible reasons for the boy to turn against Steven. but…is it possible that the boy wanted an intimate relationship and Steven “rejected” him? and going way back from the start…did the boy have an intimate relationship with his father? did the boy want Steven to marry his mother to make sure that Steven would be a permanent male figure in his life, to replace the intimate relationship with his dad? we know that the boy is PISSED that Steven rejected his mom…but it isn’t made clear why, right? the other question…why does Nicole Kidman survive? I thought that she had sex with the boy, or promised that she would “worship” him as a God (hello, she did kiss his feet, right?) it could have been a way for good ol’ Nicole to be chosen to stay alvie. NOTE: i’ll make clear Steven’s son is killed not by the “roulette”…the song’s death was predestined by the boy. having said THIS….the boy may have kept the daughter alive for sexual reasons or a plan to make her miserable. We find out near the end of the film that she is a total bitch, eager to have her brother die so she can live, hoping the mom will die, so she can live. she’s pure evil. she’s sacrificing a deer to so she can survive. but the boy’s decision to give her mercy is a tough one….since i think the boy is gay and in love with Steven. but maybe the boy knows he can control Nicole and the girl through “stringing them along” to think he could help them or bang them. either way, if he has controll of them, he has control of Steven as well. after all, the young son doesn’t serve any purpose for the boy. if the fate of the 3 is predestined….wouldn’t he just choose the boy?? and so, it might indicate that not only Steven has to make a terrible choice …but everyone involved has to make a “sacrifice” of some kind. NOTE: even good ol’ Nicole has to sacrifice her pride and decency in choosing to jerk off that guy in the car so she can find out the truth, find the REASON this all started. So…I ask you….what do you think? but a true horror film in the Roman Polanski tradition, in the terror of being out of control in one’s life and to find that the people you love the most, could be the people who actually not the ones you should EVER trust. yikes.

By: Lo

Lo — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:03:45 +0000

Love this discussion and thank you for the movie analysis. Just as an aside, the scene of the movie Martin and Mom and Murphy were watching in Groundhog Day (which is also about a protagonist that committed moral wrongs) was the one where Phil (Bill Murray) is telling Rita (Andie McDowell) that he is a god. Interesting that Martin watched to this point then left.

By: Taylor Holmes

Taylor Holmes — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 23:24:51 +0000

In reply to Jai M..

Hahahaha. I love that mid movie… literally, pre-end, you left the film, and searched for an explanation of this craziness. THEN, you scrolled to the end of 100 comments… literally 100, and then typed this. A toxicology report? He’s about to shoot his… oh, snap, you haven’t seen the ending. FINISH THE FILM AND THEN COME BACK … then we can talk about your toxicology report. But finish it first! hahahah.

By: Jai M.

Jai M. — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 01:15:59 +0000

I’m near the end of this very strange movie. Working in Heath care most of my life, I paid particular attention to all the medical tests Bob was put through, I never heard a word about toxicology. As a Dr. Farrell’s character should have asked for this test. I can’t buy power of ‘hypnotic’/whatever suggestion, so tho I’m enjoying the weirdness (love 2 primary stars) the suspension of disbelief fell out with lack of any toxicology discussion. Sorry