This is one of those films about which, when you recommend it to somebody, you have to tell them to pay attention right from the opening scene. If it were released in theatres, coming a few minutes late would completely spoil the experience. When viewed at home, ensure that you're not distracted from the first frame to the last.
The director of the acclaimed Terrestrial Verses has returned with a mindbender in the guise of a family drama. "The Things You Kill", streaming on Prime Video, is the sort of the film that's comparable to Christopher Nolan's "Memento" or "Insomnia" or David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" or Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" — comparable not in terms of the filmmaking styles, but in terms of their surreal, elusive quality which might prompt further viewings.
So, what's "The Things You Kill" about? I'll ensure a spoiler-free description. Ekin Koç is a University professor teaching translation part-time. His subject isn't on the top priority list; he is told that the subject will be taken off the curriculum soon. Adding further to his woes is his inability to have a child despite trying multiple times, while he and his wife try to figure out which one of them is "defective".
Meanwhile, his mother passes away under suspicious circumstances. The professor now wants to play detective, questioning every family member. And then, out of nowhere, comes this gardener looking for a job. This is when the film gets really interesting. Let's just say Nolan, Lynch, and Kubrick are not the only names one would think of after this. How about Michelangelo Antonioni? How about another Turkish filmmaker, Nuri Bilge Ceylan?
Like Ceylan and some of his acclaimed contemporaries from Middle Eastern cinema, filmmaker Alireza Khatami's filmmaking approach is markedly minimalist and stable, opting for an unhurried pace, largely stationary frames, medium shots and wides, with the occasional close-ups. The actors are all efficient with their naturalistic, lived-in performances.
The photography, by Bartosz Swiniarski, opts for muted colours and dim lights in interiors, evoking a sense of nervousness even when the characters are not demonstrating hysterical behaviour. We feel this even when the characters get out in the open, in the sun. An unsettling quality begins to permeate the film the minute the gardener enters the picture, sowing the seeds of confusion and puzzling mystery — the good kind, of course! And that cracker of an ending!
Khatami doesn't give any clear answers, instead relying on the viewer to put two and two together. The deceptive narrative structure prompts questions pertaining to identities, past and present events, and their timelines. Is it a mystery? Is it a horror story? Is it a dysfunctional family drama? Is it a crime drama? It's whatever you interpret it to be.
Film: The Things You Kill
Director: Alireza Khatami
Cast: Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal
Rating: 4/5
