Alireza Khatami’s new film, The Things You Kill, begins as a quiet family drama set in Turkey before taking a sharp, surreal turn into psychological thriller territory. It follows Ali, a university professor who returns home to a complicated family dynamic. After the suspicious death of his ailing mother, he coerces his gardener into carrying out deadly revenge on his father. The film won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and was Canada’s official submission to the Academy Awards. Alireza sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about making films that linger in the mind — and why he asked his family in Iran not to see this one.
Q with Tom Power