The Things You Kill

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The Things You Kill

2025

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance. As long-buried family secrets resurface, the police tighten their noose, and doubts begin eroding his conscience. Ali has no choice but to look into the abyss of his own soul.

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Critics Consensus

A ruminative thriller that brings life or death stakes to deeply existential questions, The Things You Kill is a marvelous work by writer-director Alireza Khatami that stimulates the mind as much as it punches the gut.

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Soham Gadre

Chicago Reader

Dec 2

Khatami’s direction is unpredictable. He cuts at precise moments to keep the narrative’s core mystery intact, only revealing bits of shocking information later.

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Bob Mondello

NPR

Nov 21

The filmmaker's first name provides a not-insignificant clue as to what's going on, as his filmmaking deconstructs the story and his protagonist in initially confusing, and then riveting ways.

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

Nov 14

3.5/4

An unnerving character study that often borders on thriller territory, "The Things You Kill" is a psychologically intense piece of genre filmmaking.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Jan 3

The Things You Kill is a twist-filled psychological drama about the harmful effects of domestic violence on a family. The movie has a character switch that will confuse many viewers, but it's a dark story about denial and leading a double life.

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Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Dec 28

3/5

Spiraling and twisting without arriving at anything truly revelatory, The Things You Kill won’t make you sweat—its surreal dimension adding too little substance to justify its ambitions.

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Mel Valentin

ScreenAnarchy

Nov 24

While Khatami’s gifts as a narrative and visual storyteller are never in doubt, he’s equally adept at drawing exactly what he needs from his performers.

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Robert S

Dec 23

I suppose some will see this exercise in existentialism fascinating. I found it confounding and unnecessary. Two-thirds of the way through the film, actors playing one role switch to assume a different role. And one actor becomes a substitute for a dog. Tiresome and over-thought.

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Vincent S

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies Dec 17

This is a little overrated but still a compelling revenge thriller with a story that gets you involved in the plot and all the characters. I do think halfway through the story crumbles a little but the performances are outstanding!

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Ian S

Nov 12

Truly beautiful, I did get a little confused midway through but ultimately a most rewarding experience.

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Alireza Khatami

Director

Ekin Koç

Ali

Ercan Kesal

Hamit

Hazar Ergüclü

Hazar

Erkan Kolcak Kostendil

Reza

Serhat Nalbantoglu

Behri

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Synopsis

Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance. As long-buried family secrets resurface, the police tighten their noose, and doubts begin eroding his conscience. Ali has no choice but to look into the abyss of his own soul.

Director: Alireza Khatami
Producer: Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Alireza Khatami, Michael Solomon
Screenwriter: Alireza Khatami, Alireza Khatami
Distributor: Cineverse
Production Co: Fulgurance, Remora Films, Lava Films, Tell Tall Tale, Band With Pictures, Sineaktif
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Turkish
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 53m

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