Some films begin as revenge thrillers only to reveal themselves as something far more unsettling. The Things You Kill initially appears to follow a familiar path: a grieving son seeking justice after the suspicious death of his mother. Yet Alireza Khatami quickly dismantles those expectations, crafting a hypnotic psychological drama that gradually shifts into something stranger, more ambiguous and ultimately more profound. Rather than offering the satisfaction of revenge, the film asks whether violence can ever truly break the cycles that create it.
| The Things You Kill | Movie Details |
|---|---|
| Country | Turkey / Canada |
| Year | 2025 |
| Genre | Psychological Drama / Thriller |
| Runtime | 114 min |
| Director | Alireza Khatami |
| Main Actors | Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal |
Ali is a university professor haunted by the sudden death of his ailing mother, convinced that his abusive father bears responsibility for what happened. Unable to obtain justice through conventional means, he turns to Reza, an enigmatic gardener, asking him to carry out an act of revenge. As family secrets begin to surface, however, the line between reality and imagination becomes increasingly blurred, transforming what initially seems like a straightforward moral dilemma into an unsettling exploration of memory, guilt and identity.
Khatami has never been interested in conventional storytelling, and The Things You Kill continues the distinctive style already present in his previous films. The narrative unfolds patiently, allowing uncertainty to replace suspense as its primary dramatic force. Rather than building towards a series of revelations, the screenplay constantly invites viewers to question what they are seeing, creating a dreamlike atmosphere where emotional truth becomes more important than objective reality.
At its core, the film is less concerned with revenge than with the legacy of patriarchal violence. The abusive father remains a powerful presence throughout the story, but Khatami’s real interest lies in examining how violence passes from one generation to the next. Ali’s growing obsession gradually reveals that escaping inherited trauma may be far more difficult than confronting the individual who caused it. In this sense, the film becomes an examination of masculinity, repression and the psychological scars left by authoritarian family structures.
Visually, The Things You Kill embraces restraint. Bartosz Świniarski’s cinematography favours carefully composed static frames and natural light, creating an atmosphere that feels simultaneously grounded and quietly surreal. Gardens, empty roads and domestic interiors become recurring spaces where reality appears increasingly fragile. Khatami never relies on overt stylistic flourishes to signal the film’s more surreal turns, allowing them to emerge naturally from the emotional state of the characters instead.
The performances are equally understated. Ekin Koç delivers a compelling central performance, portraying Ali as a man consumed by grief yet never entirely certain of his own perceptions. His gradual emotional disintegration unfolds with remarkable subtlety, avoiding melodrama even as the narrative becomes increasingly disorientating. Erkan Kolçak Köstendil proves equally fascinating as Reza, whose calm presence introduces an almost mythical quality to the story. The ambiguity surrounding his character becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths, inviting multiple interpretations without ever offering definitive answers.
The supporting cast also contributes significantly to the film’s emotional richness. Hazar Ergüçlü brings quiet empathy to Ali’s partner, while veteran actor Ercan Kesal creates an imposing portrait of patriarchal authority whose influence extends far beyond his screen time. Together, the ensemble reinforces the film’s central idea that violence is rarely confined to isolated acts but instead echoes across relationships and generations.
One of the film’s most impressive achievements is its refusal to explain everything. Viewers expecting a conventional psychological thriller may find its shifting identities and symbolic imagery initially perplexing, yet this ambiguity is precisely what gives the film its lasting impact. Rather than solving its mysteries, Khatami encourages the audience to sit with uncertainty, allowing different interpretations to coexist. It is a demanding approach, but one that rewards careful attention.
Premiering in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, The Things You Kill earned Alireza Khatami the Directing Award, immediately establishing itself as one of the festival’s standout discoveries. It later received further recognition across the international festival circuit, including screenplay awards and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cairo International Film Festival, confirming its status as one of the year’s most acclaimed independent films.
Following its acclaimed premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Alireza Khatami received the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award, The Things You Kill continued its successful journey across the international festival circuit. The film also found itself in a particularly unusual position during awards season. Although it is set in Turkey, filmed entirely in Turkish and features an almost exclusively Turkish cast, it was selected by Canada as its official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The decision reflected the film’s status as a Canadian co-production and Khatami’s close ties to the country’s film industry, making it one of the most distinctive Oscar submissions of the year and a reminder of how increasingly international contemporary filmmaking has become.
The Things You Kill is not a film that seeks easy answers or conventional emotional release. Instead, it offers a haunting meditation on grief, inherited violence and the fragile boundaries between memory and reality. Thought-provoking, unsettling and formally confident, it confirms Alireza Khatami as one of the most distinctive voices currently working in contemporary world cinema.
