‘Lamb’ Review: A24’s Twisted Icelandic Parable Tackling Parenthood Versus Nature Skews More Folk Tale Than Horror Story
“Lamb”. A24
This weekend, A24 returned to the fall movie season after a sparse 2021 release calendar with the anomalous “Lamb”, directed by Icelandic filmmaker Valdimar Jóhannsson. Inspired by the sweeping desolation of the Icelandic landscape, along with drawings and paintings envisioned by Jóhannsson long before production began on the film, “Lamb” is a strange and dynamic portrayal of love and loss within the family unit unlike any other caught on film.
“Lamb” begins during a brutal Icelandic winter, where viewers are introduced to sheep farmers Ingvar and Maria (played by famed Swedish actress Noomi Rapace). Ingvar and Maria are married, but it seems that much of their relationship is centered around their dedication to farm work instead of their intimate connections. The film takes its time portraying their complacent, repetitious life as farmers set against the stunning backdrop of the untouched lands around them. One day while going about business as per usual, the couple find that one of their pregnant sheep has given birth to a special lamb that will forever change the course of their family life together.
Awarded the Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “Lamb'' plays as narratively sparse and visually expansive, which allows for the film’s striking mood and atmosphere to build in a compelling manner in service to its overall themes of parenthood and man-versus-nature. Director Jóhannsson co-wrote the film's screenplay with celebrated Icelandic poet Sjón (who will also co-write Robert Egger’s upcoming film “The Northman”), the writing pair has devised a succinct story that allows the film’s three human acting roles to convey many emotions while using very few words. Also technically notable is the film’s nuanced sound design, expressing the film’s most unsettling moments by utilizing the dramatic sounds of nature and weather layered with the never-ending bleating of sheep. For a first-time filmmaker, Jóhannsson successfully delivers a well-crafted film that greatly supports the singular tone and vision of “Lamb”.
While the film does include unsettling twists and turns of supernatural horror, “Lamb” registers as more of a slow-moving European folk tale in the manner of which the film tackles universal themes of loneliness and parenthood. With this said, many moviegoers looking for an A24 horror experience à la “The Witch” or “Hereditary” may be disappointed by “Lamb” and its particularly meditative nature, which could provide a lack of payoff for more-conventional fans of the horror genre. Although “Lamb'' has certainly been marketed in the U.S as an off-beat horror film, it should not be solely thought of in this way by audiences with the risk of being written off as an unsuccessful exercise in the horror genre. With that said, Valdimar Jóhannsson’s debut “Lamb” is a distinct and refined example of Icelandic filmmaking that has been given a global platform this year and should surely not be missed by any devoted followers of contemporary world cinema.