Directed by
Valdimar Johannsson
Lamb is a movie where going in, you know to expect the unexpected, yet it still finds ways to surprise.
This latest A24 film stars Noomi Rapace and Hilmer Snaer Guonason as Maria and Ingvar, a sheep-herding couple that lives a quiet life in the Scandinavian countryside. One day, when helping one of their sheep give birth, the shocking offspring appears to be a lamb/human hybrid. The childless couple decides to take this odd infant and raise it as their own. This movie could have played as a straight horror film, but it doesn't. It could have played as a quirky dark comedy, but it doesn't. Instead, the best description of it is a family drama with horror undertones. The family drama plays out even more when Ingvar's brother shows up, played by Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson (best described as a young Nick Offerman ... minus the voice).
The first thing you notice about Lamb is it is beautifully shot. It's not hard to make the Scandinavian countryside look good, but there are some shots in this film that are just gorgeous. The next thing you notice is the quiet, patient, and subtle script that accomplishes all these things without ever feeling slow. Few films in 2021 are able to accomplish more with less in terms of story and dialogue.
Once the child shows up, possibly the most surprising thing to me was how the movie just accepts the reality for what it is and rarely questions the absurdity of the premise. In this way, for awhile Lamb feels like an exploration of parenting children with disabilities or any other extraordinary abnormality. Petur, Ingvar's brother, helps explore this theme as he sees the absurdity of the situation.
The performances by the three humans Lamb are stellar, as they help bring you in and accept the strange situation as reality. Lamb also has the best performances from sheep since the choruses of "Baa-Ram-Ewe" in 1995's Babe. The special effects on the child come and go. There's a reason you don't see it full body very often.
For such a subtle and quiet film, it does slowly build suspense, especially in the third act as it leads to a completely bonkers, unexpected ending. I have been processing Lamb for about 24 hours now, and I still am not fully sure what to make of it. At the same time, I can't shake it or get it out of my head. It has left me dumbfounded yet fascinated; confused yet enthralled. It is yet another example of how A24 is consistently the most interesting studio putting out films right now.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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