Sadie Sink is a star on the rise. The 22-year-old actress has achieved It-Girl status by playing tomboy Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, a series with a cult fandom. She’s piqued the interest of Taylor Swift, who picked Sink for her short film All Too Well. Swift said she was so blown away by Sink’s performance that she was “physically clutching my chest” watching Sink perform.
Since Stranger Things, Sink has popped up in the front row at Chanel in Taylor Swift’s short film All Too Well and has starred in the Oscar-winning drama The Whale. Still, her cinematic appearances have been fewer than we’d like and we’re hoping her new film A Sacrifice changes that.
A Sacrifice is a psychological thriller that puts Sink back in her blood-soaked Stranger Things zone, but this time, the antagonist is a cult, not a Demogorgon. Given movies about cults have a habit of turning rising stars into A-List actors, we’re taking a closer look at the film.
What’s ‘A Sacrifice’ About?
A Sacrifice is inspired by Nicholas Hogg’s 2015 novel Tokyo Nobody and follows the story of an American social psychologist, Ben Monroe (Eric Bana), a guest lecturer at a German institution. Monroe is a specialist in group think, working on a novel called “The Power of Group Think”. He’s also in Berlin from California because his wife has requested a trial separation. Their daughter Mazzy is unhappy with the situation and starts acting out – her mum sends her to Berlin as “punishment.” Things aren’t off to a good start for the father-daughter duo.
Mazzy meets a local boy called Martin. Martin introduces Mazzy to an environmental-spiritual organisation as the two establish a flirtation. Mazzey is not an expert in groupthink and doesn’t notice the cultish red flags. Their cult leader, Hila (Sophie Roise), demands that followers discard “worldly attachments” so they can “purify and heal” the planet. It’s Marie Kondo with an apocalyptic twist.
Disturbing deaths start happening within the cult, and Ben’s expertise is tapped, along with an acquaintance, Nina, whose job is profiling criminals for the government. Ben begins his investigation, not knowing that his daughter has already come under the sway of the cult.
Who Is Involved In ‘A Sacrifice’?
The Sacrifice stars heavyweight Eric Bana as Ben Monroe and Sylvia Hoeks as criminal profiler Nina. Sophie Rois plays cult leader Hilma. Jordan Scott directs a Sacrifice.
The Best Cult Movie Performances:
There’s something about cults that send chills down our spine and tend to squeeze stellar performances from young cast members. Elizabeth Olsen set herself apart from her sisters in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Hereditary made Alex Wolff a breakout star, and Midsommer famously rocketed Francis Pugh to A-List status. Will the same happen for Sink? We’re about to find out.
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This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
