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"Lamb" (2015 release; 96 min.) brings the story of David Lamb, a guy down on his luck. As the movie opens, we see David visit his sick father and it's not long afterwards that we learn his father has passed away, and on top that David has been kicked out by his wife, and David's boss tells him he needs to take some time off due to his affair with a co-worker. The next day David gets approached in a parking lot by a young lady who wants a cigarette. The two strike up a conversation, and from there a friendship develops. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is a labor of love from under-the-radar actor Ross Partridge, who also directs and wrote the script (based on the critically well-received debut novel of the same name by Bonnie Nadzam). Partridge navigates the difficult task of portraying a relationship between a middle-aged man and an 11 yr. old girl, both of them two lost souls looking for some redemption, that can be viewed as just a friendship or maybe something more (platonically). It often makes for unsettling watching, and I will admit I came close to walking out of the theater a couple of times. Oona Lawrence, whom we saw not long ago in "Southpaw", shines as the little girl Tommie. Much of this is also a road movie (they are driving to and then back from David's family cabin way out west somewhere). There are some great side performances, including from Jess Weixler as David's co-worker Linny. I very much enjoyed the movie's score, composed by Daniel Belardinelli.

"Lamb" opened out of the blue today on a single screen for all of Greater Cincinnati without any pre-release hype or advertising. The early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening: I literally was the only person there. I can't imagine that this movie will play more than one week in the theater, so if you want to check this out, you'll need to get VOD or eventually the DVD release.

From thequickflickcritic.blogspot.com/

First things first. "Lamb" explores a liaison between a male and a female which is unequivocally inappropriate, unhealthy and unsettling. Not to mention illegal. One half of this couple is a 47-year-old man. The other, an 11-year-old girl. And while the bond forged between them never becomes a sexual one, it is a relationship that categorically made me feel consistently uncomfortable and squeamish.

With personal position firmly established and hardly exclusive, what "Lamb" is ultimately ABOUT is two helplessly lost people consumed in a desperate search for someone who cares. And someone to care for. I definitely can never condone the manner in which this compulsion is consummated here. However, I completely understand this fundamental need burning in us all. This is a film that tests in boldly serious and stark terms our limits of what defines such integral human connection.

Ross Partridge writes, directs and stars as David Lamb, a man so emotionally damaged that he sees a child as the savior of his severely scarred soul. Partridge's role is a massively difficult one to deliver upon effectively, constantly balancing precariously as he must upon the most sensitive of fine lines. His personification of David maintains the essential equilibrium demanded throughout, ultimately delivering as he does so an astonishing performance that is at once loathsome as it is emotionally cataclysmic.

Oona Laurence (Southpaw) is positively transcendent. Appearing to be even younger than she is supposed to be here, Laurence infuses her understandably deeply conflicted character of Tommie with an impressively mature perspective intertwined with a naive innocence. She owns the final moments of this movie. They are powerfully effecting. Expect that they will stay with you, as they surely have done with me.

Partridge vividly conveys the evolution of this peculiar pair's partnership through his wholesale contrast in setting. Beginning with a series of scenes from a dispiriting urban underbelly, the director deftly shifts the environment markedly, transporting us to and among the spectacular wide open spaces of the American western prairie. It is a sense of Shangri-La realized-a blissful place of near perfection for the curious couple. And it is a state of being we all know can not realistically be sustained.

"Lamb" will no doubt meet with controversial reception by audiences and critics alike. Be this as it may, Partridge has succeeded mightily in crafting a motion picture that I believe ascends well above the territory of simple shock value and exploitation. And should you choose to experience his story, and can somehow permit yourself, while certainly to not ignore, but rather interpret beyond the inherently troubling subject matter it examines so unflinchingly, you may find, as did I, that you have been uniquely and richly rewarded.

For more of my Movie Reviews categorized by Genre please visit: thequickflickcritic.blogspot.com/

After reading some of the other reviews, it became clear to me that this movie hits a nerve for many. Our reactions are varied and emotional, ranging from disgust, panic and confusion to relief, respect and understanding.

I was intrigued, so I decided to watch it for myself.

A good reviewer will step aside from his own opinions and give the movie a fair shake from an objective point of view.

The real strength of the movie is that it pushes and breaks boundaries, which most of us adhere to. We generally believe that following these laws and moral norms will keep children safe, but the truth is that the world has never been safe. Just by living we all agree to this simple truth: life is dangerous.

The main protagonist, whose life is falling apart and who is slowly losing his grip, meets a young girl who is essentially being raised how he was. He deeply feels that this is a crime and decides that he will develop a relationship with her that, while wildly inappropriate and even illegal and dangerous, is beneficial to them both. As all relationships do, it takes a turn that both frightens and satisfies them, teaching them about love. Ultimately, it seems that they are soul mates who have found each other. The tragedy is that in this world they cannot be together, because in their current circumstances it was not healthy or safe for either of them. Note that the relationship was not sexual, it doesn't have to be.

This movie is well filmed and choreographed. The cinematography is bleak, accompanied by a soundtrack that is mostly atmospheric and moody.. and sometimes scary. All of this is designed to pull you into the hopelessness that both characters feel, while leaving you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

The film has two reasonably large flaws in my opinion: the writing and the direction.

The writing was mostly good, but deliberately obtuse. You are not supposed to completely understand what the character of David Lamb is thinking or planning. While we are supposed to think that David and Tommy's relationship develops from a deep understanding, I got the impression that Tommy was confused most of the time. When faced with David's constant deep observations about life, young Tommy seemed honestly dumbstruck. She seemed to take him on faith for most of the film.

As for the direction, the film draws on as a slow burner. What's happening next never seems to be a concern, because honestly it's fairly predictable. Aside from the question of Tommy's safety, there is little conflict to deal with. What really boggled me was the relationship that develops between the two characters. It starts off as a simple friendship, then develops into teacher/student, moves easily into father/daughter, and finally dives headlong into unrequited lovers. If I could complain about anything, I would say that the final relationship did not have enough screen time to be adequately explained. It just seemed to happen in a rush and was confusing to me.

Now then, The rest of my review is my opinion, feel free to read it or not.

Some other reviewers have written this movie off as a simple "defense of pedophilia." I don't see it that way.

I haven't lived long, but I've lived long enough to know that love is an inconsiderate thing. It can happen at the wrong time, in the wrong place, even with the wrong person. To make judgments on any other person's love is an arrogance I personally don't engage in. Can it happen between two people, even if one is a child and the other an adult? Of course it can. I won't say whether or not that love is true, it's not my place. I can only say that it is inappropriate given the circumstances. And when it comes to love, many would say circumstances be damned.

People who believe that love like this cannot exist between the young and old are completely on the wrong side of history. Relationships between very young and very old people have happened time and time again for generations. Our particular norms for the treatment of children are a very recent inventions, while we mostly agree that they are good things, they are not always right in every single case.

Deal with it.

I'd like to start off by saying I found this movie by accident - I spent the first half thinking I was watching A24's 2021 movie by the same title. I'll admit, a lot of it was uncomfortable to watch. I was constantly waiting for the relationship between the two main characters to take a dark turn, but the friendship developed between the them was endearing & heartwarming to watch. Definitely a questionable plot, a little unrealistic, but nonetheless an enjoyable little film.

Lamb (2015) is a unique indie drama directed, written and produced by Ross Partridge, who also stars in the film. To be completely honest, I think this film is extremely hard to talk about. At points, I found it extremely uncomfortable. But that's the point. Well acted all around. Oona Laurence and Ross Partridge both gave excellent performances. In addition to great performances, the cinematography was also wonderful. This isn't just a cliché indie drama. The film splits off in a different directions, especially with the ending. I found Lamb to be an extremely memorable movie. Really hard to talk about without spoiling anything. Just go watch it. It's worth your time.

A brainwashing manipulative story of how easily it is and how deviate perverts can be when it comes to brainwashing a child. This was horrible. From the supposed innocent conversations to the twisting of a child's mind. If that was the goal to show this disgusting method that predators use, you have succeeded.

First it is worth noting that this is based on a novel written by a female, meaning it has appropriate sensitivity to the subject, a 40-something man and an 11-yr-old girl forming a love relationship. He is closer to a grandfatherly age, and in the book the age gap was even larger.

Ross Partridge is 40-something David Lamb with a few difficulties in his life. One day he is approached by this small for her age girl, Oona Laurence as Tommie, asking on behalf of her friends for a cigarette. Tommie is a good kid burdened with an uncaring mother and her mother's boyfriend.

She and David gradually form a bond, one which takes them on a road trip to the mountains of Wyoming. They share motel rooms, sometimes even the same bed, but all depicted in a non-sexual manner. She often acts and reacts like the little girl she is, he is always kind and gentle with her, and ultimately each of them come to profess love each other although we strongly suspect he is just being manipulative.

This theme has been explored before, twice by characters that Natalie Portman played, first in "Leon" and then in "Beautiful Girls." It is a theme that undoubtedly commonly exists in real life, especially where a young girl does not have a kind and loving father figure in her life.

Stories like this are easy to begin, but are harder to write in a satisfying ending. I wish I had access to the book, to compare it to how this one ended. It is open to lots of interpretation.

Very interesting movie, young Laurence is really great in the role. I watched it on Youtube free streaming movies.

Sept 2020 edit: I found the book and read it, most of the dialog is right from the book. While it ends about the same way the middle of the "trip" is a bit closer to "Lolita", although the author never gets specific some of the terms and imagery suggest that the relationship crossed over to a sexual one. Another difference, Lamb was in his 50s, making the age gap even larger.

If you only hear the plot of Ross Partridge's "Lamb", you might think that it sounds like one of the most inappropriate movies ever made. As it turns out, the movie is actually an intellectually-stimulating look at what people might do when life offers few prospects.

Partridge plays a worker with little social life. One day he meets a girl (Oona Laurence) who comes from a dysfunctional family. She and he quickly develop a friendship, and it eventually leads them to a cabin in the mountains.

A number of people have apparently likened this movie to "Lolita". I can see the parallels, but whereas that one focused on a widely respected man whose obsession with a girl caused his life to spin out of control, this one shows how neither protagonist has anything to look forward to in life, so they have only each other.

The movie's only real downside was that it was a little slow-paced. I guess that it needed time to let the characters develop, but it still seemed like it could've moved a little faster. Other than that, I thought that it was a well done movie.

There was also an Ethiopian movie called "Lamb" released in 2015, so I intend to find that one also.

David Lamb (Ross Partridge) is troubled. His father dies. He's having a fling with Linny (Jess Weixler). He's having trouble at work. He's smoking in a mall parking lot and he's approached by 11 year old Tommie (Oona Laurence). She's been dared by her not-so-great friends to ask him for a smoke. She is befriended by the middle-aged David over many days. He convinces her to join him on a week-long camping trip.

This starts as lowkey creepy and it becomes troubling. It's basic stranger danger. The movie does keep using light music to not let it go too dark. I am less sure about that. The film allows the audience to make a judgement on David. For me, I expect him to kill himself after the ending. That's my judgement on the whole thing. This guy is troubled and it's going to manifest itself in some way.

Another film lost in the pile. Yes the plot is morally questionable given the kidnapping of an 11 year old girl...but it's a great film. I wish people were smarter and can see into the reasoning behind everything the main characters do. It's not about sex or pedophilia, it's about people that are lost.

This is a very very sensitive subject, and to make a film about a child kidnapping and have the narrative go the way it goes does makes u think. It's disturbing and fascinating at the same time. Watch it. If u like films that make u think :)

I think it's important to call it out for what it is, even if IMDB doesn't think you should be allowed to use that word, which in and of itself I find VERY very weird. Oh no, we're gonna risk offending THOSE people. Heaven forfend. OH NO. So, to be clear, I'm not someone who has a problem with people portraying this type of subject matter in art. Do I think this film is trying to normalize something that's universally vilified? Yes. Do I think it will degrade society if this type of thing is successfully normalized? Absolutely, but from an artistic point of view, films like this absolutely have the right to exist, and they're even useful. Moreover, whatever my personal opinion is about the subject, it has no bearing on the quality of the film itself.

As far as the dialogue goes, it's actually pretty well written. It's definitely a cut above. The subject matter is INTERESTING; the way the plot plays out is somewhat plausible, the limits of human emotion and interaction being pushed to some degree, and the subject matter is handled in a way that actually carries a lot of tension, and to me personally, gives me a sense of looming dread. Like, will he or won't he? Where is this going to go? Because you KNOW that if a stranger KIDNAPS a young girl, it CAN'T go anywhere good. Now, if you watched this film, and it BOTHERS you that I said that, something so obvious, something so incontrovertible, which it DOES seem to bother a great deal many people who watched this, based on the way certain reviews have been scored. That, in and of itself underscores the problem with what this film normalizes, because it emboldens p_d_'s by giving them a voice for something that is completely and categorically untenable. Even the film itself portrays this type of relationship as untenable. That's why the ending is a grief stricken ending. Could it have ended ANY other way? NO. That's the point, but that's NEVER going to be the takeaway for THAT particular group of people, which is why it's so important to be unequivocal about what this film is putting across.

The male protagonist in this film is indeed a p_d_. It's very unequivocal, and for me personally, extremely blatant right off the bat. Granted, the plot progresses in such a way specifically designed so that a lot of people will give him the benefit of a doubt at first. This is actually somewhat insidious to a degree, because it's trying to get you to like him. It humanizes him, and because of the slow drip of information that the viewer gets, a lot of people will 1) be in denial of what he is, or 2) be sympathetic. That being said, the p_d_ premise is COMPLETELY implied. There's actually no direct evidence WHATSOEVER that that is what he is, but as human beings, intuitively, you know better. It's the same reason why you can tell someone is gay just by the expression on their face, a lot of the time, and frankly, why you can tell if someone you meet is a total creep, just from their vibe. There's something off: their mannerisms, their speech patterns, the circumstance. You couldn't prove it in a court of law, but you KNOW it intuitively, based on circumstance and likelihood. If you meet a p_d_, you'll get the feeling, from the second you lay eyes on them, whether you can identify it for what it is or not. It's like gay, but different, and here I mean someone who's interested in very YOUNG children, specifically.

So, how do we know? Ok, so let's break it down. The male protag says "It will LOOK like I kidnapped you." First of all, no... You DID kidnap her. You're not her legal guardian. Parents have rights; you took her without her parent's consent, and because she's a minor, she was not able to consent to it of her own accord (Duh). Any person of average intelligence would know that, and therefore, only a p_d_ would knowingly put himself in that position, knowing how society would perceive him for it. He's 45 years old, no kids of his own. I thought about this at length. The only thing that would CONCEIVABLY make sense as a non sexual or pseudo-sexual motive is, he had a terminal illness, had only a couple months to live, and he regretted not having kids. Otherwise, you want to mentor kids? Become a big brother. Become a teacher. Become a coach. If you want to be a mentor to kids, there are MANY options that are wholesome, and legal, so only someone with either nefarious intent, or aberrant impulses would put himself in such a serious legal predicament, for really very little reward, in a wholesome context.

As the film progresses you get more and more clues that make it very hard to deny it for what it is. The way he calls her "beautiful." The way he says he feels absolutely nothing for the adult woman in his life. When he says to the little girl. "You're going to outgrow me." Why would she "outgrow you," ya child abducting creep. It is what it is, even though there's no smoking gun evidence. The only question now is, did the male protag actually have any sexual contact with the young girl? The circumstantial evidence would actually suggest that no they didn't, but either way, this is where the film starts to transgress into what I consider much more gross territory.

When the young girl catches him having sex with the woman, she then throws a fit yelling "You view me as just a little kid!" That's definitely weird. So you're "just a kid," and that's what you think of when you see him having sex with a woman. Why would those two things be connected? It's literally IMPOSSIBLE to make that connection, unless the little girl envisioned herself entering into a sexual relationship with the male protag. Also towards the end when she says "Maybe people would understand. It's love. That's all it is." So he's not JUST a friend and older mentor. In HER mind, they're lovers. A kid wouldn't talk about it that way, if they were just friends. It would feel awkward and uncomfortable. Again, couldn't prove it in a court of law, but this is what we know intuitively about normal human behavior.

To me this is a bit gross, because the obvious implication is that a child can consent, and that the young girl is the one who wants it to go further, in a context that's actually very forced. The leap between them just being friends and seeing the countryside, to being "in love," from the young girl's perspective, happens in a VERY short time. They're effectively inserting this message into the film, which I think in a way backfires, just by showing you how forced and inorganic any such relationship could EVER possibly be.

I then had to ask myself another serious question, because it's all well and good to say all the things I've said, but how would I ACTUALLY deal with it in the real world? If my daughter got offered the starring role in this film, would I allow it? I don't think I could live with myself if I denied my daughter an opportunity like that, because I know what a boost any type of controversial film is for a young actor, but I wouldn't be happy about it. It's not child abuse, but I do think it's somewhat exploitative of Oona Lawrence to have her playing into this forced narrative. So basically with this question, I'm speaking to the fact that yes, children have SOME ability to consent, but at a much diminished capacity, so you HAVE to offer guidance, as a parent, and no, a random stranger is not someone who can fill that role. People who try to fill that role artificially, are often groomers like the male protagonist in this film. If there's any message to take away from this film, it's probably that. He was only able to abduct the girl because she came from a broken home, and had no friends, which is very often the case in real life situations of child exploitation.

Oona Lawrence was extremely well cast, by the way. She has a natural way about her that really makes the most of the material. There's one scene that stuck out in particular to me though. The male protagonist is holding her extremely tight and close him, with their faces very close together as they're chatting. This embrace is very long. He just doesn't want to let her go, doesn't want the moment to end, which may be symbolic. Throughout this embrace, Oona Lawrence is very clearly uncomfortable. She has her head tilted away from him ever so slightly. She's leaning away basically, when her character should actually be leaning in. It's very subtle, but anyone who understands non verbal queues can very blatantly see that she's displaying physically closed-off body language, and in a very blatant way I think that serves as a great example of REALITY vs the contrived fantasy of forbidden love that this film seeks to portray.

No, if you kidnap a preteen girl, she's not going to fall in love with you, and yes, she's going to feel physically repelled if you invade her physical space. She's not going to lean in. She's going to lean away like Oona Lawrence, as a natural inescapable reaction that is very difficult to suppress. That's the problem with the message that this film puts across insofar as how they try to put the consent issue onto the child character. It's bit like how you have these public flashers on transit, who expose themselves, or rub up against women, and convince themselves that the woman secretly likes it, or wants it. That's the type of person this film is emboldening. We shouldn't mince words about that, and frankly, I question why anyone in their right mind would want to write, produce, and direct a film like this. The basic premise is fine. Again, my problem is when they take it to the point where the young girl is in love with the p_d_ when we don't convincingly see the relationship develop in that way. It just seems like someone's perverted p_d_ fantasy at that point.

LAMB is set in the Midwest and its conventions. A middle aged man, beset by adult challenges including the death of a parent, work and crumbling relationships, encounters a young girl whose home has provided no identity or value. The two go on a road trip deeper into the heart of the country and into unexpected inner places. LAMB is risky and challenging exploration of love, our need for it, the unusual places where we find it and the sacrifices it calls for. Oona Laurence as the young girl is superb and deserves consideration for a Best Actress award. The cinematography is evocative. Ross Partridge is to be commended for his integrity, courage and skill in bringing this story to the screen.