2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
Yorgos Lanthimos films, while critically lauded, can be divisive among audiences, and that’s to be expected. He embraces ambiguity and cultural taboos in a way that many might find frustrating or uncomfortable; his films are also, well, deeply fucking weird. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is perhaps Lanthimos’ most cringe-inducing movie yet, but it’s also unexpectedly his funniest. Colin Farrell stars as Steven Murphy, a heart surgeon who befriends a strange teenage boy, Martin (Barry Keoghan), with a secret agenda. Soon after, Steven’s son, Bob (Sunny Suljic), is paralyzed — and he’s told his daughter, Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and wife, Anna (Nicole Kidman), are next. Unless, that is, he’s willing to pick one to die. This is Sophie’s Choiceas an absurdist horror-comedy, and it’s a stunning achievement. The scene in which Steven makes his choice is breathtaking in every way, equal parts hilarious and heart-stopping.
1. Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Writer: Jordan Peele
Get Out isn’t just the best horror film this year: It’s easily one of the best films of the year, period, and perhaps the defining movie of 2017. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is an incredible success, both in terms of its impressive box-office numbers and critical adoration. It’s emerging as a major Oscar contender, a rare feat for horror, a genre that’s almost always overlooked. But putting aside all the buzz and adulation, not to mention an endless onslaught of think pieces, the fact remains that Get Out really is that good. In telling the story of a black man, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who visits his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family and uncovers a nefarious plot, Peele exposes the cultural anxieties and racial tensions that have always been there, but now, for many Americans, have never been more apparent. Like so many of the greatest horror films, Get Out is terrifying not in spite of its searing social commentary but because of the brutal truths therein.
Louis Peitzman is a senior entertainment editor for BuzzFeed News and
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