A Sacrifice (2024)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Plot Summary

After Ben’s marriage fell apart, he left California for Germany and began a new life there. But, alongside leaving his ex-wife in the States, he also left behind his now 16-year-old daughter, Mazzy. However, with her not doing well in school, Ben is tasked with stepping up as a father, which seems challenging.

Enter Martin and Hilma, two members of a local cult, who prey on Mazzy being young, her conflicts with her dad, and the desire to recruit her or make her into a sacrifice.

Noted Cast and Characters Of “A Sacrifice”

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Ben	Eric Bana
Mazzy	Sadie Sink
Martin	Jonas Dassler
Hilma	Sophie Rois

Ben

Ben is an acclaimed author and now professor whose work focuses on human connection or lack thereof.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Dirty John: Season 1.”

Mazzy

Mazzy is Ben’s daughter who he is partly estranged from, but there appears to be a mutual interest in reconnecting. It’s just Ben isn’t making a notable effort to connect with Mazzy, which opens her up to being a rebellious 16-year-old in need of some semblance of family, considering her relationship with not only Ben but her mother as well.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Fear Street: 1978.”

Martin

Martin is someone who has dealt with a lot of death in his life and struggles to have a stable sense of belonging. This led him to become part of Hilma’s group.

Hilma

For most, if not all, of Hilma’s adult life, she has been a leader of a group that has spoken about environmentalism and sustainability. But, while she leads with thoughts of how humanity can survive in the future, it could be argued that her recruiting tactics maintain the playbooks of past cult leaders.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Blood, Self-Harm
• Sexual Content: N/A
• Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Drinking, Drug Use, Vomiting

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Who Is This For?

• People who love watching cult like figures and seeing it’s not all charisma but planning that led to their power.

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

Highlights

It’s Take On Cult Recruitment

There has been a constant trickle of media featuring various cults and “A Sacrifice” just as much helps you understand the allure and what gets people to commit to them. In an age where there is an increased demand for human connection and loneliness is considered an epidemic (Health and Human Services), cults are attractive. You feel seen by this charismatic person who makes you feel valued. You get what can appear like a family, and with you all having purpose and goals set by the leader, there is an undeniable sense of belonging.

In the film, Mazzy is at an age when she rebels against her parents, and, unfortunately, this happens just as she moves across the world and is partly alone. So, a cute boy like Martin introducing her to his friend group, and while they are weird, they are nice? It’s easy to believe she gave them leniency since she is from San Diego, California, wants to impress this guy who looks like he could have just graduated college, and is at that point she needs to craft her own family since the one she was born into isn’t reliable.

Plus, probably one of the best things about making new friends and them becoming family as you get older is they don’t have evidence of what it took for you to become the person they know. This helps you understand why Martin can love the cult since they don’t have to know anything about him beyond he doesn’t have anybody. He doesn’t have to reveal, and this is all just examples, him failing out of college, being unable to hold down a job, or the type of things that can embarrass you to people who’ve known you for years. You instead get this radical form of acceptance that feels so strange yet you yearn to adapt to as your new normal.

How Everything Comes Together

How “A Sacrifice” drops hints that end up being played out is a wonderful way of telling you and showing you. From mentions of sirens to a few other tidbits, it sets things up in a way that could make for a very entertaining watch if you are the type of person who remembers and takes note of what was said and aren’t just worried about what is happening then and there on screen.

On The Fence

Ending May Feel Anti-Climatic

While it is admirable how things come together, I would be lying to you if I didn’t say the ending felt a bit rushed to make sure everything tied together. From Hilma’s origin story, Ben putting pieces together to finally figure out what is going on with his daughter, and more, I’d submit “A Sacrifice” is almost like a M. Night Shyamalan film in that has a wonderful build, with many quotable scenes and notable moments—but sticking the landing? “A Sacrifice” doesn’t necessarily do that.

General Information

Film Length	1 Hour 34 Minutes
Date Released	June 27, 2024
Distributor	Vertical Entertainment
Director(s)	Jordan Scott
Writer(s)	Jordan Scott
Based On Work By	Nicholas Hogg
Genre(s)	Drama Young Adult Non-English (German)
Content Rating	Rated R

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