Monday marked the first half of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and most of our attention went to Nicole Kidman, who, besides from looking stunning on the red carpet, was praised for her flawless role in the movie ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer.’ And that’s only one of the four – completely different – projects she’s premiering at the film festival.
For four days in a row, the Australian actress has been showcasing her different projects, showing herself as a versatile, multifaceted and very talented actress. The comedy ‘How to Talk to Girls at Parties’ debuted on Sunday, followed by the domestic drama ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ on Monday. On Tuesday, the SundanceTV miniseries ‘Top of the Lake: China Girl’ premiered, while the anticipated film by Sofia Coppola ‘The Beguile’ will debut on Wednesday.
On Monday, during a news conference, Kidman said that the launching of all four projects at once was purely a coincidence and that she was not aware it would happen. She said that at this stage of her life, she’s trying to stay open and try different things, as well as to support filmmakers that believe in her as much as she believes in them. “I’m at that place in my life where I try to act as though I’m 21 and just starting my career,” the actress said.
‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ received outstanding acclaim
Kidman’s first installment at the French Riviera festival, ‘How to Talk to Girls at Parties’ got some mixed reviews. Not everyone enjoyed John Cameron Mitchell’s adaptation of the Neil Gaiman sci-fi story, which focuses on a punk romance between humanoid aliens. It was perceived by many as “messy,” and way too extravagant but without nothing important to say.
That was not at all the case for ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer.’ The thriller, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, premiered on Monday and was given a standing ovation that lasted for ten minutes.
Of course, the film received a few boos, but the Cannes audience is known for that – masterpieces like Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Drivers’ are among the booing victims. But for most of the critics, ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ is “magnificent.”
Started by Kidman, Colin Farrell, and rising talent Barry Keoghan, the horror film has been described as amusing but disturbing, with a proper strident orchestral score, wicked angles and robotic, intriguing dialogues. The story follows a successful surgeon named Steven, played by Farrell, who lives with his beautiful wife – we’re talking about Kidman, of course – and his two children.
He seems to have a perfect life, but he’s actually a strange person that speaks with introspective mannerisms and enjoys having sex with his wife as long as she just lays on the bed without moving.
Then a new character comes into his life. 16-year-old Martin, played by Keoghan, starts to hang out with him, and Steven seems to really enjoy that, even inviting him for dinner, and later Martin doing the same. As the movie goes by, it becomes clear what the boy’s sinister motives are, and Steven’s family is put in danger. To save his loved ones, Martin demands a sacrifice from Steven. If he doesn’t satisfy Martin, terrible supernatural things will happen to his family.
Kidman has learned to keep the work going without leaving her family aside
The actress, dubbed as “the Queen of Cannes” thanks to her omnipresence at the festival, was very reiterative on the fact that she’s looking forward to trying new things, work with unique filmmakers, and basically saying “yes” as many times as possible.
‘Top of the Lake: China Girl’ and ‘The Beguile’, set to premiere at the festival, are only a small part of what she’s been doing lately. Besides working on the second season of the Jane Campion’s series and the latest installment by Sofia Coppola, the actress has also been making the Emmy rounds for HBO series ‘Big Little Lies,’ – which may be heading to a second season production.
That is obviously a very tight schedule. But Kidman still manages to spend time with her family. “A lot of it when you’re an actress is trying to balance motherhood with the work you want to do,” she said.
She also said that she’s thankful to be married to musician Keith Urban, “so our schedules are able to be juggled.”
As for her kids, she said that they will definitely not be allowed to watch ‘The Killing of A Sacred Deer.’