Weird film week (not a deliberate choice, just the films that came up)...
First off The Killing of a Sacred Deer featuring Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan. Heart surgeon accidentally kills man by conducting operation after a few drinks, man's son seeks retribution. So far sounds like standard Hollywood stuff. But the director is the guy who did Lobster and the story is based on Greek myths, including Greek-God-like powers. Well-made film, as you'd expect, but the plot didn't really hold together.
Next up Vivarium with Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg. Young couple get trapped in a vast empty new-build suburban estate, where they are required to bring up a child that arrives in a cardboard box and grows very quickly. Like a cuckoo, as the opening scenes make clear. Overlong for the substance it contains, but thought-provoking.
Lastly Rent-A-Pal low-budget indie with non-famous actors. Lonely 40-year-old man caring for his senile mother descends into psychosis after making friends with a guy on a self-help VHS tape he randomly picks up from a dating agency. Very well done. Resists the expected plot devices, and all the better for it. Not a great film by any means but worth the watch.
