Skip to main content
The Things You Kill film image; man walking through a desert

The Things You Kill

Book Now Book Now

Thirty-something Ali (Ekin Koç) leads a seemingly stable life. He teaches a course at a university in Ankara, is attempting to conceive a child with his wife, and tends a garden on the city’s outskirts — a task for which he enlists the help of a mysterious but capable stranger. However, when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, Ali’s life starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person.

Winner of the Directing Award in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Iranian writer-director Alireza Khatami (Terrestrial Verses) delivers a tense psychological thriller with the shadowy ambiance of a classic noir and a boldly conceived twist on the vagaries of personal identity. “No one is resentful by nature,” remarks Ali’s newly hired gardener. An unsparing look at generational cycles of violence and corruption, this is a film that examines just how resentment arises, probing the demons we carry within us.

Director

Alireza Khatami

Cast

Selen Kurtaran, Idil Engindeniz, Güliz Şirinyan, Aysan Sümercan Ölmez

Credits
Country of Origin

France/Poland/Canada/Turkey

Year

2025

Language

In Turkish with English subtitles

19+
113 min

Book Tickets

Friday March 20

6:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Saturday March 21

2:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Sunday March 22

1:00 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
Book Now
5:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
Book Now

Monday March 23

7:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Tuesday March 24

1:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Thursday March 26

4:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Credits

Executive Producer

Naomi Despres, Michèle Marshall (Desmar), ErcanKesal

Producer

Elisa Sepulveda-Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Alireza Khatami, Michael Salomon

Screenwriter

Alireza Khatami

Cinematography

Bartosz Świniarski

Editor

Selda Taşkın, Alireza Khatami

Production Design

Meral Aktan

Also Playing

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

All That's Left of You

Dir. Cherien Dabis
145 min

Jordan's submission for the Academy Awards, All That's Left of You makes the most of its epic format to chronicle seven decades of Palestinian history while tracking the psychological impact of cycles of exile and oppression on three generations.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

H is for Hawk

Dir. Philippa Lowthorpe
114 min

Based on naturalist Helen MacDonald's memoir (scripted by Emma Donoghue), H is for Hawk follows Helen (Claire Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father embarks on an intense relationship... with a goshawk.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre