A Sacrifice, 2024.
Written and Directed by Jordan Scott.
Starring Eric Bana, Sadie Sink, Sylvia Hoeks, Jonas Dassler, Sophie Rois, Stephan Kampwirth, Lara Feith, DJ Express, Daphna Rosenthal, and Joone Dankou.
SYNOPSIS:
American social psychologist Ben Monroe investigates a local cult connected to a disturbing event, while his daughter becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy.
Much of what transpires throughout A Sacrifice is unconvincing. Without spoiling it, writer/director Jordan Scott (inspired by a Nicholas Hogg novel) is merely connecting the dots of an overly elaborate, eye-rolling, twisty scheme in which characters behave and react the way they do to service that narrative instead of anything resembling real people. Each reveal is more far-fetched and ridiculous than the last, one almost wishes the film had the good sense to stay boring.
Centering on best-selling author, European professor, and social psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana), the story follows his investigation into a death cult that essentially preys on progressive groupthink regarding overpopulation and climate change (and other global crises the general population is alarmingly unconcerned about) to rope people into the circle. Inevitably, someone is chosen to kill themselves as a sacrifice. Sometimes, it’s an entire mass suicide. As to what these people actually want and are trying to accomplish, that is something that also comes into focus during the third-act blitz of plot reveals and is an interesting method to go about indoctrinating on a grander scale but is mostly left underexplored.
That’s because the meat of A Sacrifice focuses on the fractured father-daughter relationship between Ben and Mazzy (Sadie Sink.) She has flown solo to Europe to live with her father as punishment from her mother for receiving offensively bad grades. During the train ride necessary to reach her father, she also meets the strange Martin (Jonas Dassler), catching her attention through a charming kindness which, apparently, makes her more susceptible to falling into the cult led by Hilma (Sophie Rois), overplaying the obvious evilness of this gathering.
There are several other clichés at hand here, such as the rebellious nature of Mazzy, frustrated that her father isn’t having trouble moving on from her mother and is seemingly falling in love with a co-worker and criminal psychologist, Nina (Sylvia Hoeks.) They are looking into unfolding disturbing events, which include a woman connected to the cult turning up dead in a nearby lake. The point is that Martin and the whole group, being troubled and up to no good, are presented with no subtle complexity beyond the intriguing idea that people can weaponize a good cause as a manipulation tactic. Mazzy starts lashing out at her other, more rational friends for questioning her decisions, increasingly getting deeper into a dangerous group.
A Sacrifice does not wield any of this to tell a compelling psychological story despite a handful of characters being actual psychologists. Instead, the sole concern is mining this concept for the usual cheap thrills and expected climax that is a sequence so on the nose it’s hard not to whisper “screw this movie” under your breath while watching it. And while the performances are passable at best and beyond overacted at worst, there is a swelling score from Volker Bertelmann attempting some heavy lifting. Admittedly, it’s watchable as junk cinema. The real sacrifice is the 90 minutes wasted to bring you readers this review.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
