Sacrifice arrives as yet another star-studded eat-the-rich satire, inviting us to chuckle at the vanity and hypocrisy of the wealthy, while at the same time being packaged and performed by the very people it wants us to laugh at. This time it taps into climate change, activism, and environmental collapse, staging a luxury gala on a remote Greek island that celebrates such causes, only to be crashed by an eco-terrorist group demanding that a few guests be sacrificed to the earth.
It is not hard to see the appeal of these “eat-the-rich” films that boomed in the early 2020s (Don’t Look Up, Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion, The Menu, The White Lotus and so on). The ultra-wealthy make it almost too easy for writers to find laughing material, and there is always the comfort of laughing at them without any guilt or remorse.
Sacrifice follows that mentality and builds a number of funny set pieces around the arrogance and stupidity of those who would burn fuel just to reach a remote location to celebrate their own activism, arriving in clothing worth enough to feed a village. They even light up a neon sign that reads “Making Earth Great Again.” Among the rich are Vincent Cassel as Ben Bracken, a billionaire environmentalist; Salma Hayek as his wife Gloria, who mostly watches from the sidelines; and Chris Evans as Mike Tyler, a fading movie star trying to claw his way back into public relevance, a parallel that drew an awkward but unintentionally hilarious remark from the TIFF moderator during the film’s Q&A.
Evans ends up being the film’s highlight. His limited range is more obvious each year, but he is always at his best when leaning into an exaggerated version of himself. Watching him wrestle with his fading looks or embarrass himself with proclamations he thinks are bold provides most of the laughs. His desperate reactions to applause, online commentary, or even a simple round of claps are the film’s sharpest moments. His antics are contrasted with Anya Taylor-Joy’s deadpan sincerity. Unfortunately, she is stuck with a far less rewarding role as the eco-activist leader. The script hints at a parallel between her zeal and Mike’s vanity, but in practice she is forced to play it straight, never allowed to lean into the absurdity around her.
Like Opus earlier this year, the movie sets up a clever premise and touches on interesting points but never lands any true insight. The similarities go further than that, not least because both films feature John Malkovich. Like that film, even when judged as pure entertainment, it disappoints by building a premise that promises sharp satire and suspense but quickly loses steam once it gets past the scenes destined for the trailer. There are a few good elements (such as its striking score), and the laughs in the first half are there, even if not the most original, but these elements are not enough to make you forget how dull the second half becomes. Its cult elements are vague without being intriguing, and its exposition scenes drag badly. What remains is a film that invites us to laugh at millionaires being humiliated while also making us cringe for the millionaires humiliated for taking part in it (Salma Hayek, why?). You will not be making any kind of sacrifice if you decide to skip this one.
This is part of Reviews On Reels TIFF 2025 Coverage. Due to the hectic rhythm of a film festival, it may be tweaked in the future. Still courtesy of TIFF.
Still courtesy of Elevation Pictures
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- 206Sacrifice#206 of 218
- Where to watch
- Out of Theaters
- Where to watch
- Out of Theaters
Play trailer
- Original title
- Sacrifice
- Director
- Romain Gavras
- Cast
- Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, Salma Hayek Pinault, John Malkovich, Charli xcx, Yung Lean, Sam Richardson
- Rated
- R
- Screenwriter
- Will Arbery, Romain Gavras
- Composer
- Surkin
- Cinematography
- Matias Boucard, Lara Perrotte, Myron Mance
- Editor
- Benjamin Weill
- Country
- Language
- English
- Box office
- $1.73 million
- Distributor (CA)
- Elevation Pictures