Lamb (2021) (Icelandic Language)- BFI London Film Festival 2021

Review

106min

Genre:     Drama, Horror, Mystery

Director:   Valdimar Jóhannsson

Cast:       Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson…

Writers:   Valdimar Jóhannsson and Sjón

-Synopsis-

On an isolated Icelandic sheep farm, a grieving farmer couple form an unnatural connection to a particularly special newborn lamb, but their fixation with their new lambkin soon blends with their sorrow and a tragedy not easily left behind, rekindling a fledgling flame of happiness but threatening to become an obsession which takes over their lives . . . with morbid consequences.

Perhaps more than any other artform, the cinema of any given country is often a reflection of both its foreign influences and the character of the people and place where it’s made, with Icelandic film long having boasted a blend of introspection and simplicity with quirkiness and a wistful mood befitting this sparsely populated and striking isolated North Atlantic land of ice & fire. Now armed with dark intentions, surrealist sensibilities, and the backing of A24, Icelandic writer/director Valdimar Jóhannsson makes his feature debut by taking to his country’s stunning rural landscapes and mixing unsettling family drama with a splash of horror and a touch of Icelandic myth—particularly of the lamb Minotaur variety—to brew a moody mediation on grief, parenthood, and our connection with nature.

Noomi Rapace stars as ‘Maria’, living on her isolated Icelandic sheep farm alongside her husband ‘Ingvar’ (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) and passing the days wistfully working the land whilst trying to suppress a sense of grief and loss, until happiness unexpectedly returns to their lives via the arrival of a bizarre and unique young lamb they dub ‘Ada’. But things quickly become complicated by the formation of a surreal new family trio, and by the arrival of Ingvar’s wandering brother ‘Pétur’ (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) for an unexpected stay, as a weird parental love turns into unhealthy obsession and behaviour which leads to dark places and brings a warped reckoning from mother nature . . . and father nature too.

At a first glance ‘Lamb’ might seem like the latest product from A24’s school of hugely atmospheric, majorly unsettling, and distinctly creative new horror which has seen notable graduates like Ari Aster and Robert Eggers grab the industry’s attention in style over recent years—and in some ways it is. But Jóhannsson’s effort is an even more measured and deliberate drama which often feels like not much is happening yet with plenty going on, essentially unfolding as one long visual anthropomorphic family drama metaphor for loss and grief, juxtaposed with a mediation on the darkness of our complex relationship with animals and nature, but spiced with a touch of horror and mysterious lore.

Like most films made or set in the Nordic island nation, ‘Lamb’ not only makes good use of its stunning rural Icelandic settings but also puts them at the heart film’s narrative, not to mention its distinct mood. The country’s beautiful but unforgiving plains, mountains and escarpments are captured with vivid restraint by Israeli cinematographer Eli Arenson using an earthy hazy otherworldly quality, perfectly complementing the tone of the film and blending seamlessly with the subtle CGI which brings out the slim animal-human hybrid horror element of the story. And when combined with a moody minimalist debut score from Þórarinn Guðnason—the latest graduate of a thriving Icelandic film composer collective led by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson—it really sets the tone and atmosphere.

For horror ‘purists’ and traditionalists or even an audience looking for more modern and subtle horror fare ‘Lamb’ may prove somewhat of a disappointment, as it uses the accoutrements of the genre to add a dark fantastical quality and sombre stylings to what is essentially a forlorn family drama fable and foreboding character study, plus a parabolic commentary on the full spectrum of our curious relationship with animals—from treating them as property and commodities to beloved pets, and even forging unhealthy anthropomorphised familial bonds with them.

So as an allegorical family drama and character study ‘Lamb’ inevitably relies heavily on the subtle performances of a skeleton cast of essentially three, given limited dialogue but plenty of unspoken angst and repressed emotion. And while Hilmir Snær Guðnason is solid as the dutiful husband and new ‘father’, as is Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as his bothersome visiting brother, it’s Noomi Rapace who truly shines with one of her most nuanced and memorable performances in recent memory, proving the brooding heart of the piece as the stoic yet internally stewing wife and tentative new ‘mother’ who fatefully irks mother nature—in a film which at its core is about motherhood and mother Earth.

It’s probably fair to say that the film does drag slightly at points, and is perhaps too restrained and subtle at others, but it’s certainly not fair to say it’s all style and mood and no substance, and ultimately Jóhannsson just about gets the balance right to produce a brooding and bizarre little rural drama/horror which keeps you unsettled and slightly puzzled throughout, and maybe looking at your pets a little differently . . . and perhaps your children too.

The Bottom Line…

A restrained and surreal Icelandic family drama that unfolds as a peculiar parenthood parable and dark Eco-fable which may change the way you look at animals, ‘Lamb’ may at times be a tad too subtle for its own good but still proves confounding and compelling in equal measure thanks to solid performances and a curious premise—underlining the emergence of Icelandic film onto the global stage and delivering a promising debut from Valdimar Jóhannsson.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Border (2018)

‘Tina’ is a perennial outsider, a loner with an abnormal physical appearance and extra sensory abilities, making her a highly effective Swedish border guard but something of a pariah in civil society. But when an enigmatic traveller who shares her traits crosses her path (and her border), this blunt and unassuming outcast forges an unprecedented connection, transforming her life but confronting her with truths which challenge her very identity.

Directed by Ali Abbasi and starring Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff and Jörgen Thorsson among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.