Having previously focused his filmmaking gaze on the political in his first two films, 2017’s Oblivion Verses and 2023’s Terrestrial Verses, Director Alireza Khatami has turned to the familial in his third feature, The Things You Kill.
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and selected as the Canadian submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, The Things You Kill hit theaters on November 14, 2025, through Cineverse and follows literature professor Ali (Ekin Koç: Brother’s Keeper 2021, Burning Days 2022). Having lived in the U.S. for the last 14 years, Turkish-born Ali has recently returned to his birth country, but his homecoming has not been a happy one. Ali and his wife Hazar (Hazar Ergüçlü: Snow 2017, The Wild Pear Tree 2018) are struggling with possible infertility problems, and his disabled mother (Guliz Sirinyan: In Darkness 2009, A White Night 2018) has a myriad of health issues.
Ali’s life takes a turn for the worse when his mother dies suddenly after suffering a fall. Enraged and suspecting that his abusive father may have something to do with his mother’s death, Ali befriends a mysterious gardener (Erkan Kolçak Köstendil: Let’s Sin 2014, Muslum 2018) who soon begins to reveal the deep darkness and rage within Ali.
A strong theme throughout The Things You Kill is the mechanics of a family and the workings of its relationships. In particular, Khatami is interested in the father/son relationship and how toxic masculinity may be passed from generation to generation. Ali detests his father for his temper and abuse, but as the film unfolds, the audience witnesses a far more ruthless, aggressive Ali. Is this toxicity a result of a buildup of stressful events? Or was Ali always toxic? Is toxic masculinity nature or nurture? Or perhaps both?
As well as exploring toxic masculinity, The Things You Kill looks at the duality of character and identity. Whether or not the audience views Ali as a toxic man or not, Khatami wants to show that these ideas are complex and that the effects of generational trauma are labyrinthine – a person is not necessarily explicitly one thing or another but many things.
With these above topics in mind, as you can imagine, The Things You Kill is not a straightforward or easygoing watch. As well as exploring difficult and uncomfortable themes, the film is a real slow burn, layering ideas. A lot of the film is metaphorical and even quite dreamlike at times, which gives it an almost out-of-reach feeling. This is not a film to go into half asleep or for some lighthearted entertainment.
Overall, this is a difficult film to recommend strongly. Whilst thought-provoking and competently made, The Things You Kill takes a slow-burning approach, and deceptive qualities may mean it remains slightly out of reach for many audiences. That is why Cryptic Rock gives it 3 out of 5 stars.
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