The Things You Kill

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The Things You Kill

Nov 2025

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

40 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.

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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Bob Mondello

NPR

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.

Nov 21, 2025

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

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

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 14, 2025

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Debts to Luis Buñuel and David Lynch are obvious, but “The Things You Kill” has its own way of getting inside its protagonist’s head space — and yours.

Nov 13, 2025

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Mel Valentin

ScreenAnarchy

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.

Nov 24, 2025

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Colton Peregoy

MovieJawn

The Things You Kill works as a stone-cold upheaval of the conditions that make a man’s internal clock tick the way it does, a story of haunting specters and past traumas that continue to torment the present.

Nov 16, 2025

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Roberto Tyler Ortiz

Geek Vibes Nation

The Things You Kill is well-crafted, introspective, and flawed in ways that sometimes frustrate but often feel true to the messy emotional territory it’s working in.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 15, 2025

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Ian S

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

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/12/25

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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