Lamb

"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.

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.

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.

David(Ross Partridge) is a forty seven year old man who has just lost his father and divorced his wife and seems on the verge of a nervous break down. After burying his father, he meets an eleven year old girl, Tommie(Oona Laurence) at a parking lot, where, somehow, they connect. Thus begins a strange journey, where the two relate on an emotional level. David takes Tommie on a road trip to a desolate cabin in the mountains while searching for some meaning to his life. Tommie is an outcast with indifferent parents. The writer of the novel, Lamb, Bonnie Nadzam, claims to never have read Lolita, which was also adapted for the screen in 1962 by Stanley Kubrick. The themes are similar, but Lolita's protagonist, played by the precocious and self assured fifteen year old Sue Lyon, is a million miles apart from the innocent eleven year old Oona Laurence. Though at times unsettling, Lamb never veers into Lolita's explicitly sexual territory. Partridge and Laurence are riveting together and I look forward to see what the young actress does next. Lamb is a solid 8/10.

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.