Alireza Khatami's “The Things You Kill” was a film that I hadn't originally planned on seeing at MIFF, but when I did my final sweep of the guide, it's synopsis intrigued me enough to load up the trailer for the film. I was immediately impressed by what I saw and shut the trailer off before it could reveal any of the film's surprises. “The Things You Kill” is a shape-shifting revenge thriller that starts as one thing at the beginning of the film, before becoming something entirely different by it's end. Unfortunately, this is one of those films where I will only be able to allude to certain aspects of the film, because knowing them ahead of time will ruin the secrets hidden within.
The film, which takes place in Turkey, starts with Ali visiting his elderly and disabled mother. Due to his job teaching at the local college, and living some distance away, he doesn't get to visit his mother as much as he should, or as he would like. While there, he cares for her sensitively, cleaning up for her, washing her, re-dressing her, feeding her....all the things a good son should do. However he is disgusted by the state of the house, and once again, that his father is not home looking after his mother. When Hamit arrives home before Ali leaves, the two violently clash, and it is clear that they do not get along. The mother asks her son to leave so that her husband calms down, which he does, reluctantly. Soon after, while back at home, he gets word from his sister that his mother has died. Heartbroken he goes to his mother's place to mourn with the rest of the family, and he and his father have yet another argument. Some time later, during a conversation with one of his sisters, Ali learns that Hamit has been abusive towards his mother before (when he was studying in the US), which makes him wonder if his father actually killed his mother, instead of her collapsing like he told the family. When the death certificate seems to confirm his suspicions, he is outraged and incensed and decides it is up to him to get revenge for his mother, by killing his own father.
“The Things You Kill” is a very interesting movie, and one that took me a long time to register exactly what was going on in the film. Once I did, I realised that it was so much better than I originally gave it credit for. Whilst the film takes place in, and was shot in Turkey, it is actually a Canadian film. Initially when the film begins, it feels like is going to be a character study about a man under so much pressure that keeps increasing, until it reaches a breaking point for him. From the pressures of trying (and failing) to conceive, to learning he may not have a job next semester, to the death of his mother, to then his wife moving out.....Ali takes hit after hit, that you wonder how much a man can take before he eventually breaks. However, a wrinkle to the story is added when he suspects his father of murdering his mother, as he now has somewhere to aim his pent up rage that is building inside him. From here, the movie becomes about revenge, and whether or not it is worth it, and if you do decide to go through with it, how much does that change a man.
And change is something Ali certainly does, as the kind, caring man we saw looking after his mother at the beginning of the film turns into a rude, aggressive man, willing to cheat on his wife with a student, just for a bit of fun. He essentially becomes a different person entirely....but does it make his life any better? Things finally come to a head, when the new gardener Ali has hired convinces him that he should kill his father. This is the catalyst that sees “The Things You Kill” morph into something else entirely as themes of identity, corruption, compliance and guilt are explored in the twisting and turning finale to the film, that has been described by some as very Lynchian.
This is a stunningly well-made film by Iranian director Alireza Khatami, that is so much more complex and brilliant than I originally gave it credit for. For most of the first half of the film, it plays more like an Iranian drama, the sort that Asghar Farhadi made famous. It is built around character, while plot elements that will become important much later in the film are sprinkled throughout the narrative in a fashion that you never notice. Probably the most impressive element in “The Things You Kill” is Bartosz Swiniarski's stunning cinematography, which takes full advantage of the Turkish countryside and mountain areas. Swiniarski, later in the film, also plays with the focus of certain images, so that the scenes play out-of-focus, signalling a further twist in the film during the very surreal second half. Having any image not in focus is a brave thing for a cinematographer and director to do, but because it makes sense here thematically speaking, it pays off brilliantly. The film has also been very well acted, particularly by the men of the picture. Ekin Koç is superb as Ali, a good man going through so much all at once. You can feel the constant pressure he is under, as he is trying to do good by everyone but seems to be failing them all. Ercan Kesal, as his father Hamit, comes across as an aggressive and arrogant man, believes he is the boss of the family, and his say is the end of it. Koç and Kesal have great antagonistic chemistry together, and are worthy combatants for the other to go up against. The most mysterious character though is Reza, the new gardener that Ali has hired, who is played by Erkan Koçak Köstendil, coming across as very smart, friendly and willing to do anything Ali needs of him, but why is he so accommodating to someone who is essentially a stranger (even if he is his boss).
As I have mentioned, “The Things You Kill” morphs into something completely different by its end than what it was at it's start and this is true of the film making too, as whilst the early section of the film feels more like an Iranian drama, once the revenge mechanics begin to take hold, Khatami starts to handle his material in a fashion more suited to American directors like Brian de Palma or David Lynch. There was one shot in particular that truly impressed me, and I am not sure if it could have been actually achieved without the help of visual effects, but it starts outside of the small cabin where Ali's garden is situation before it begins to focus on a broken mirror on the wall. As it gets closer to the mirror, we see in it's reflection the image of Reza for the first time, as the camera continues to focus on him as he moves around the property but through the reflection the entire time. I am not sure if I am making it clear what the shot actually looks like, but it is sensational, and Khatami goes back to the wall later in the film to pull off a similar mirror shot towards the end. Another thing that I loved was a dream that Ali's wife describes at the beginning of the film (which at the time just feels like natural conversation between a husband and wife), becomes so pivotal towards the end of “The Things You Kill”.
Overall, I found this review so hard to write, because I did not want to step on any of the twists that exist in “The Things You Kill”. While it is true that the film initially confused me when I was watching it, once I had worked out exactly what was going on, I liked it more and more, and it is one of the films that I keep thinking about and coming back to since my screening, over ten days ago now. The film making craft on display is exceptional, as is the underlying story itself, but I loved the fact that the film was so malleable and changed, going from something so straightforward to something more extreme and surreal. “The Things You Kill” will not be for everyone, but for those who like cinema a little bit different than the norm, I urge you to check it out, as it is something pretty special, and I think I will enjoy it even more after repeat viewings.
3.5 Stars.
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