Toronto International Film Festival 2025: Sacrifice
A climate gala on a Greek island sees billionaires from all walks of life congregate. Among them is action star Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), who hopes his appearance and dedication to the cause will overshadow the bad press he has been getting since suffering a psychotic break on his latest film’s premiere. His painful speech at the fundraiser is overshadowed when the event gets hijacked by cult members (led by Anya Taylor-Joy) who believe that three attendees must be sacrificed to quench the local volcano’s hunger and stop it from eroding all life.
One look at the eclectic ensemble (the credits range from Salma Hayek Pinault to Charli XCX and Swedish rapper Yung Lean) should suffice in curbing expectations for the movie to take a radical stance on holding the super-rich accountable for their contributions to climate change. There is an obvious meta dimension to the casting, and the odd self-aware joke finds its way into the script, but the critique of hollow virtue signalling is just the feature’s stepping stone. What Sacrifice is really interested in is the collective belief in the power of storytelling.
Evans plays an actor in search for motivation – that which has dictated his approach to work has now taken over his life. His malleability is played for laughs until the very concept of being handed a narrative to follow is called into question.
Stylistically, the film can and has been likened to any number of satires and absurdist comedies from the past decade, as director Romain Gavras seems to draw inspiration from Yorgos Lanthimos and Ruben Östlund. However, due to its wandering nature, Sacrifice yields a more favourable interpretation when seen as taking a less-travelled path to revisit the questions pondered in Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin. Do we (want to) believe in prophecy? Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves to save others? Are we truly solving the problem or just feeding our sense of self-importance by placing ourselves at its centre?
Evans and Vincent Cassel bring a sharp comedic edge, elevating the film’s tone, and together with Taylor-Joy’s arresting portrayal of a conflicted terrorist, distinguish themselves among an eclectic mixture of performances.
Sacrifice is a wonderfully bizarre viewing experience, whose strength lies in playing to and against the audience’s expectations. While precision is sacrificed (no pun intended), the feature’s discomforting qualities make it linger in the mind.
Selina Sondermann
Sacrifice does not have a release date yet.
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