“The Killing of a Sacred Deer”: Exploring Psychoanalytic Aspects and Ancient Tragedy

Yorgos Lanthimos’ film “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is a haunting exploration of morality, guilt, and the inexorable pull of fate. Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology, the film weaves psychological horror with mythic elements, unsettling audiences. Here, we delve into the psychoanalytic aspects of the film’s characters, their parallels to ancient tragedy, the symbolism used in the film, the sound, and the color of the film.

Mythological Background: Agamemnon and the Sacred Deer

The film’s title directly references Greek mythology. In the ancient tale, King Agamemnon accidentally kills a sacred deer belonging to the goddess Artemis. Furious, Artemis halts the winds, preventing Agamemnon’s fleet from sailing to Troy. Agamemnon faces an agonizing choice to atone for his mistake: sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, or suffer dire consequences. The myth highlights the delicate balance between justice and sacrifice.

Let’s analyze the film’s characters through a psychoanalytic lens:

Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell): The Agamemnon-Like Figure Steven’s life turns dark after befriending Martin, much like Agamemnon’s accidental killing of the sacred deer. The death of Martin’s father becomes the detonator for tragedy, echoing Agamemnon’s transgression. Steven grapples with the debt owed to fate, mirroring Agamemnon’s need to repay Artemis.

Martin (Barry Keoghan): Martin embodies retribution. His calculated actions force Steven into an impossible situation. His demand for life mirrors the myth’s concept of balance. He blurs the boundaries between punishment and sacrifice. His character challenges our understanding of justice.

Anna (Nicole Kidman): She grapples with the consequences of their past. Anna’s emotional turmoil reflects the film’s exploration of sacrifice within family dynamics.

Bob and Kim (Sunny Suljic and Raffey Cassidy): Steven’s children represent innocence caught in fate’s web. Bob’s paralysis and Kim’s impending suffering force Steven to confront an impossible choice. Their vulnerability underscores the film’s examination of sacrifice as a form of justice.

“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” uses visual cues to convey its psychological horror, moral dilemmas, and the inexorable pull of destiny. Each frame contributes to the film’s eerie and thought-provoking atmosphere.

Symmetry and Precision

Director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his meticulous framing and symmetrical compositions. The film’s shots are often perfectly balanced, emphasizing order and control. Symmetry reflects Steven’s surgical precision and the calculated nature of Martin’s revenge. It also hints at the mythological balance between sacrifice and justice.

Lanthimos, known for his unique approach, crafts a clinical and disturbing atmosphere. Meticulously framed shots dominate the screen. Perfect balance emphasizes order and control. This symmetry starkly contrasts the chaos unfolding within the story — a deliberate tension that keeps viewers on edge.

Hallways and Corridors

The film frequently features long, sterile hallways and corridors. These spaces evoke hospitals, emphasizing Steven’s profession and the clinical nature of his life. Hallways symbolize the path toward inevitable consequences. Characters move through them, leading to their fates. The corridor leading to Martin’s home becomes increasingly ominous.

The hospital corridors are sterile, impersonal spaces emphasizing Steven’s emotional isolation. Here, life and death intersect. Both stark and sterile, they become battlegrounds for moral dilemmas. The environment heightens our anticipation of impending doom.

Slow Tracking Shots

Lanthimos uses slow tracking shots to follow the characters. These deliberate movements heighten tension and create a sense of impending doom. The camera glides behind the characters, mirroring their inability to escape their fate. The tracking shots intensify during critical moments. Deliberate camera movements contrast with moments of stillness. The camera lingers on the characters’ faces, capturing their inner turmoil. We feel their struggle — the weight of choices and the pull of destiny.

Eyes and Gazes

Eyes play a significant role. Characters often stare directly into the camera or at each other. This intense gaze suggests scrutiny, guilt, and judgment. Martin’s unsettling gaze pierces through the screen, implicating the audience. His eyes become a conduit for the film’s evil force.

Barry Keoghan’s portrayal implicates the audience. His eyes become a conduit for malevolence, and we feel uncomfortable as if we share the characters’ secrets.

Color Palette

The film predominantly uses cool, muted colors — grays, blues, and whites — which evoke sterility, detachment, and emotional suppression. The starkness contrasts with the warmth of family scenes, emphasizing the disruption caused by Martin’s presence.

“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” transcends mere storytelling. Its cinematography immerses us in a world where morality, guilt, and fate collide. Each symmetrical, sterile, or intense visual choice adds to the film’s haunting resonance.

A Symphony of Dread

Sakis Tolis’ minimalist score, combined with dissonance and silence, creates an unshakable sense of doom. As viewers, we’re trapped in the characters’ inevitable fate, haunted by the echoes of a sacred tragedy.

Sakis Tolis’s score defies convention. It avoids lush melodies and embraces minimalism. The score relies on jarring, dissonant chords and electronic textures, which evoke discomfort and unease. Like a surgeon’s scalpel, the music is precise and sparingly applied, mirroring the film’s clinical and detached tone.

The score features repetitive piano notes and strings. These motifs create a sense of inevitability. Just as fate repeats, so do these musical patterns. Characters are trapped in their predetermined paths. The repetition becomes a haunting refrain, echoing throughout the film.

Silence is wielded strategically. Intense scenes lack musical accompaniment, leaving us suspended in anticipation. The absence of music amplifies impact. We feel the weight of choices and consequences. The silence becomes a void — an abyss of dread. The dissonant chords clash with our expectations. They emphasize the film’s psychological horror.

The score often needs to be clarified with the visuals. We’re disoriented as if reality itself is at odds. The discomfort lingers, haunting our senses. Unlike traditional film scores that guide our emotions, this one avoids sentimentality. There’s no solace, no catharsis. The tension tightens like a noose. We’re denied the luxury of emotional release.

In Yorgos Lanthimos’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” technical craftsmanship and psychoanalytic exploration fuse, creating a diverse cinematic experience.