Some films seem destined to be relevant, especially in an era when social vulnerability and the void of belonging are transformed into raw material for groups that present themselves as “chosen families” or “spiritual paths.” A Sacrifice, directed by Jordan Scott (Ridley Scott‘s daughter), is one of those projects that, in theory, carried disturbing timeliness. An American psychologist, played by Eric Bana, travels to Berlin to investigate the collective suicide of a cult, while his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink, from Stranger Things) becomes entangled with a group that blends environmental ideology with the darker contours of a pseudo-religious community.

On paper, it seemed like an irresistible story: a psychological thriller capable of reflecting on the mechanisms of cult manipulation, the seductive power of its leaders, and the fragility of those searching for belonging in uncertain times. But in practice, the film misses the chance to be truly incisive. What could have been a sharp social and cultural analysis dissolves into a thriller that relies more on tense atmospheres than on uncomfortable questions.

The story: between investigation and seduction

Ben Monroe (Bana) is a respected academic, but he’s going through a turbulent personal phase. Alongside his daughter Mazzy (Sink), he tries to rebuild his life in Germany, when he finds himself drawn into the case of a cult’s mass suicide. The academic investigation — already echoing documentaries on real cults — takes on intimate dimensions when Mazzy gets involved with Martin, a charismatic young man who introduces her to a group seemingly engaged in environmental causes. The leader, Hilma, offers Mazzy a necklace during a ritual-like ceremony, and there the line between activism and cult begins to blur.

The film works best in these subtle moments, when seduction comes through the promise of meaning, community, and belonging. Sadie Sink conveys with skill the vulnerability of a displaced young woman, giving weight to a character who might otherwise have been reduced to the stereotype of the “rebellious daughter.”

A relevant theme, but underexplored

The central problem with A Sacrifice lies precisely in what it avoids doing. Unlike works such as Midsommar or documentaries on real cults (Wild Wild Country, The Vow), here there is no clear attempt to unravel how these groups build their rhetoric, how they adapt legitimate causes — environmental, spiritual, or political — into platforms for psychological control.

There are some interesting nods, such as the veiled critique of environmental alarmism used as a tool of power, but the script circles around these issues rather than delving into them. The lack of substance also weakens the portrayal of the cult itself: there is no clear ideology, nor a convincing purpose. This emptiness turns the antagonists into hollow figures when they could have been catalysts for urgent reflections on faith, belonging, and contemporary fragility.

Echoes of real cults: a mirror of reality

What frustrates the most in A Sacrifice is realizing how much material there was to connect the story directly with episodes that marked collective memory. The opening mass suicide inevitably recalls Jonestown in 1978, when more than 900 followers of Reverend Jim Jones died in a ritual of mass poisoning. As in the film, the cult was born out of discourses of social justice, but quickly turned into a psychological prison, sustained by paranoia and absolute submission to its leader.

Another unavoidable parallel is Heaven’s Gate in the 1990s, when dozens of people were convinced to abandon their possessions and earthly lives in the belief that they would be taken by a spaceship. The logic of creating an “us versus the world” and the offer of unique salvation resonates in the group portrayed by Jordan Scott, even if in a diffuse way.

More recently, scandals like the NXIVM organization have exposed the modern face of these mechanisms: the use of motivational and therapeutic language to mask abuse, manipulation, and the emotional and sexual exploitation of members. The film even brushes against this universe when it shows how environmental ideologies are distorted, but it stops short of committing to a precise portrayal of how individual vulnerabilities are transformed into instruments of collective control.

By failing to deepen these parallels, A Sacrifice misses the chance to challenge viewers and to position itself as a film that genuinely converses with our time.

The weight of performances

Eric Bana delivers a solid performance, but it is Sadie Sink who truly lights up the film. Known as Max in Stranger Things, here she sheds any hint of heroine and embodies a lost character, torn between the desire to break free from paternal authority and the need to find a place to belong. It is a restrained yet expressive performance — Mazzy’s silent looks say more about loneliness and searching than many of the script’s lines.

Still, not even the actors’ talent can fill in the gaps of the text. At times, the film seems hesitant: unsure whether it wants to be a socio-political commentary, a parable about modern ideologies, or simply an efficient thriller.

Reception and debate

International critics echoed this sense of frustration. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a meager 25% approval rating, with an average score of 4.6/10, while on Metacritic it sits at 44, translated as “mixed or average.” On Reddit, viewers pointed out the lack of charisma of the cult leaders, the unnatural dialogue, and the absence of a clear logic behind the group’s actions. In other words, there was a lack of depth where it mattered most.

On the other hand, some praise focused on the atmosphere created by the film — a cold, distant Berlin that reinforces the emotional isolation of the characters, and the courage of Jordan Scott (Ridley Scott’s daughter) in tackling such a delicate subject.

The film that could have been

A Sacrifice is, ultimately, a film that sparks more reflections for what it leaves unsaid than for what it delivers. It confirms how the theme of cults remains as urgent as ever — just look at the news, or at cases of manipulation in religious, spiritual, and political communities — but it treats it as a mere backdrop for an uneven thriller.

What remains is the feeling of a wasted opportunity: to explore the magnetism of leaders, the rhetoric that blends ideology and emotion, the way young people are drawn in while searching for meaning. Instead, what we get is a film with good actors, an unsettling atmosphere, but little courage to go further.

For fans of the genre, there are moments of well-built tension and a Sadie Sink in full ascension. But for those expecting a deeper portrait of how cults work — and why they continue to thrive — A Sacrifice is, above all, a missed opportunity.