Lamb

I wouldn't categorize Lamb as a horror movie, more a mystery drama. In my case I figured out the "mystery" from almost the beginning but still it's worth a watch. It's not fast paced, but it's well filmed and the acting is more than decent. Strange to hear Noomi Rapace speaking Icelandic for the first time in a movie. Strange is also the plot, a bit weird but that doesn't mean bad. It's probably not going to be to everyone's taste but if you have an open mind and like something different you might enjoy this one.

What did I just watch? These were the first words running through my mind at the conclusion of 'Lamb'. This was not the film I expected by any measure. To be fair I don't think many who go in blind are going to be expecting what they get. A bizarre experience to say the least.

The film is set in a beautiful location. It's a pleasure to look at. You're going to see the horror tag attached to this movie, and it is in a odd sort of way I suppose, but mostly this is a drama with a twist. If you go in expecting a horror you're likely going to come away disappointed.

Whether this story will connect with you or not is anyone's guess. There are people who are going to hate every second of it, and there are people who will love it. I fell somewhere in the middle personally. It's unapologetically different though and I respect that a lot. 6/10.

There are certain things that can not be explained. And then even if they are explained - you do not get the full explanation. You just get an answer to one question - but there are so many other questions that open up. One thing that is for sure, as our two main characters do not question certain things, you shouldn't either - you will likely have less fun, if you try to depict things that happen and the sense they may or may not make.

Yes even in the realm of the world the movie is playing in. There is not much dialog here, but the sound design and the cinematography make up for that - and for the movie being slow paced. You have to be into that sort of films to consider watching this. I had no idea what the movie would do - and I would say I was kind of shocked by certain reveals. But it does make sense - if you think of the beginning and where it ends. Even if you may have wished a different one ... just don't start asking ...

I've not watched much Icelandic cinema. So I can't tell you if this is typical. I can tell you it's good though. It's sparse and wintery as you might guess. It's also a bit dark and magical. Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guõnason) live on a remote farm. It's quiet, idyllic. Lots of hard work and they're vastly outnumbered by animals. They seem lonely. Unhappy even. Something missing. Iceland looks incredible. Almost unreal and it's used to great effect. It's all beautifully shot, from the amazing mountain vistas to the barns housing the sheep they tend. They're lives are changed, seemingly for the better when a new lamb is born, a little different from the rest. It's clear that shes used to mask an earlier unseen loss and for this reason things are going to end badly. Now this newborn creature is quite literally fantastic. So much so, it could rip you right out of the otherwise believable narrative, but she's so adorable you just go with it. Things get a little more complicated when Ingvar's brother Pétur (Björn Hlyner Haraldsson) turns up, but that's really not the half of it. Calling this Lamb and having one with such an arresting role is misleading though, there's a lot more to unpack. Iceland is gorgeous. Lambs are very cute. Loneliness is deadly.

While I basically agree with the main statement the film makes, and perhaps the statement is even timely to some degree. However the film starts to feel very ho-hum nearing the midpoint. It's not all that interestingly told, nor does it come across as a meditation on it's main idea or ideas as well as it was likely intended to. To me it spent too much time in nowhere land. Perhaps if I understood Icelandic I would have gotten more out of it, I'm not entirely sure about that. Also, this is really not a horror film at all. It's somewhat dark, like an old folktale but mostly quite overt and not at all scary. I was enjoying the film for the first while, it sets up reasonably well, but it really never ends up giving you much of anything very interesting to chew on. There likely is some symbolism in the film that I didn't fully unravel; However what is here really seems too unimportant to care much for given the overall fairly aimless and stale feeling the film mostly has past the midway point. It's all very simple for the most part and in the end, a little silly really. This could've possibly made a great short film. There just isn't enough heart or guts or real substance in the film to be a feature in my view. It's not bad, but I would say skip it unless you're really into these kinds of old folktales. I love a good thinker and a good slow burn, but honestly there's not all that much here to think about. It tries to strike a fire in the viewers mind perhaps, but there's not enough fuel to light it and nothing much to burn. 5.5/10.