IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (121st visit in 2024)
Ridley Scott is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in Hollywood, and his brother Tony has also made some important films. The careers of Ridley's children, on the other hand, have so far been rather modest. Jake Scott has made videos for some major musical talents, including R.E.M., Tina Turner and Soundgarden. However, his few feature films have made less of an impression. Luke Scott has mainly made short films, including the financially disappointing horror-science fiction mix "The Morgan Project", which I personally found okay. That leaves daughter Jordan Scott, who made her debut in 2009 with the drama "Cracks" and then disappeared into obscurity. 15 years later, she is back on the scene with "A Sacrafice", only her second feature film. It is a return, but one that brings little joy of reunion.
The start is still promising. The scenes at the crime scene make a good impression and arouse curiosity as to who and what is behind everything. Even though it is about suicides, it is reminiscent of the various serial killer thrillers from the 1990s. Scott creates a beautifully mysterious and eerie atmosphere. Unfortunately, this doesn't last very long. A Sacrafice" reveals quite early on that this must have something to do with Hilma's (Sophie Rois) organization, which is in fact a cult. There really isn't much left to puzzle over. There are no surprises anyway. There is a twist towards the end, which is probably supposed to blow the audience away. But on the one hand, this is announced quite early on, which is why it leaves little impression. On the other hand, it is also quite nonsensical.
But you shouldn't generally expect the movie to make sense. The thriller inspired by Nicholas Hogg's novel "Tokyo" has some irritatingly random moments in it, which make you wonder: Did anyone even read through the script? What exactly is Hilma supposed to gain from the fact that her followers regularly kill each other? This is also a shame because "A Sacrafice" does address some interesting topics. When it comes to the question of how to react in a world where resources are too scarce, this is just as relevant as people's longing for a meaningful life. However, this is not elaborated on any more than Martin's (Jonas Dassler) stroke of fate. Mazzy's (Sadie Sink) tragic backstory is also ultimately superfluous, as it only finds its way into the story in a clumsy way without adding anything relevant.
To some extent, the ensemble is able to make up for the shortcomings in terms of content. At least Sadie Sink's acting is convincing and she is the bright spot in the midst of the misery. Jonas Dassler, certainly one of the more exciting young German talents of the moment, also has a few good moments. Others are rather inconspicuous, including Eric Bana, who always seems a little out of place, as if he had been abandoned somewhere and forgotten. And then there are some shockingly bad performances. When Sophie Rois plays the manipulative cult leader, it seems more like a parody. And when the finale turns into a debacle, you have to hope that the director doesn't make another film after "A Sacrafice". This one is too bizarrely amateurish for that. At best, it can still be enjoyed as unintentionally funny.
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_3646d44d-013e-409b-b93f-cd35d852b630" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-3646d44d-013e-409b-b93f-cd35d852b630'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-3646d44d-013e-409b-b93f-cd35d852b630'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-3646d44d-013e-409b-b93f-cd35d852b630'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_67ead08e-fa70-4d45-a317-4958abe53565" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-67ead08e-fa70-4d45-a317-4958abe53565'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-67ead08e-fa70-4d45-a317-4958abe53565'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-67ead08e-fa70-4d45-a317-4958abe53565'));
