What is A Sacrifice about? Stranger Things star’s new Netflix movie explained

Ahead of Stranger Things Season 5, Sadie Sink has a new Netflix movie coming out – and A Sacrifice is a major step away from the sci-fi world of the Upside Down.

After making her name as Max in Stranger Things Season 2, Sadie Sink has quickly become one of the most employed member of the Stranger Things cast, starring in Oscar-winning movies and Netflix horror shows alike.

In 2024, she starred in a new movie that tackled the allure of cults, and how vulnerable minds can easily be tricked into joining a cause – even if your dad is an expert on the subject.

Released in June, you might have missed your chance to catch Sink’s new flick. Here’s what it’s about and how you can watch it now.

What is A Sacrifice about?

A Sacrifice follows American expat and psychologist Ben as he attempts to help his daughter escape the cult that she’s become initiated into.

While moving to Berlin to research cults and cult mentality, Ben (Eric Bana) brings along his teenage daughter Mazzy (Sadie Sink). But while he becomes preoccupied and Mazzy struggles to find herself, she becomes infatuated with the mysterious Martin.

Martin introduces her to his unrestrained group of friends who live according to their own rules, and Ben discovers that his research and his family life become more entwined than he would like, and finds that he has to save his daughter from the cult before it’s too late.

The film is based on the 2015 novel Tokyo by Nicholas Hogg, though the movie version updates the location to Berlin.

Is it any good?

You might be better holding off for Stranger Things to see Sadie Sink again, as A Sacrifice only has 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Popcornmeter score isn’t any more promising, with only 35% on that front. Reviews generally are on the negative side, with many declaring the film to be bland and predictable.

“A Sacrifice just feels like a pulpy genre setup that increasingly drifts into conceptual ether, something it does not have the mysterioso intensity to render a plus,” said Variety’s review.

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RogerEbert.com’s review also wrote: “It isn’t even awful so much as it is intensely forgettable – the kind of film whose title eludes you even as you watch it.”

On the audience front, reviews aren’t much better with an average score of 2.3 stars. “The only sacrifice is having to finish this,” said one review.

How to watch A Sacrifice

The only way to watch A Sacrifice is on Netflix.

Obviously, this is where Sink’s biggest role to date – Max in Stranger Things – also lives.

For more cults, killers, and creepy tales, check out our guides to all the new true crime documentaries. You can also check out the best serial killer documentaries, and learn more about the best 2024 horror movies.