Lamb
Lamb
Starring Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snaer Guonason, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson
Directed by Vladimir Johannsson
Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go
It followed her to school one day which was against the rules
It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near
And waited patiently about, till Mary did appear
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?" the eager children cry
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know," the teacher did reply
Living in their remote farm nestled comfortably between the mountains, married couple Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Guonason) live a relatively peaceful existence - tending to their herds of lambs, ewes, and horses, and maintaining their sprawling farm. They don't really communicate often, and don't seem to be happy about their existence - and meanwhile an outside force finds its way inside the farm and impregnates one of the ewes. When the baby lamb is born, it triggers something inside Maria and Ingvar, and they decide to take the lamb in and raise it as their own, which draws the ire of the lamb's mother, as well as its father, who looms in the distance.
"Lamb" is one of those movies that's difficult to review without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say it's one of the most "WTF" movies I've seen in awhile. Typically that's a good thing, because I like being kept on my toes and wondering what the heck is happening, and while there's glimmers of brilliance in that respect, it's often shadowed by a meandering story that consists of long, drawn-out moments of silence and a rather unnecessary subplot involving Ingvar's brother Petur, who arrives out of nowhere halfway into the film. That's not to say the film is terrible, but it seemed to be lacking the essential "umph" to make it stand out and make the unique story pack a wallop instead of a few strong moments that literally will leave your jaw on the floor.
The story centers around a married couple who are going through rough times in their personal lives, so they take in a baby lamb to raise as their own child. They feed it, clothe it, and treat it like a human child, which sometimes comes with deadpan comedy especially when Petur enters the picture. On the surface it looks plain and simple, but digging deeper it's a dark character study of people going through grief and despair and using nature to their own advantage in order to combat those lonely feelings, and as it is with nature, everything ends up in perfect balance.
Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snaer Guonason hold their own when it comes to their performances, but they're often drowned out by the long stretches of silence that does help create an atmosphere of uncomfortable peace, but doesn't have a lot to expand on. The main thrust of the film is the slow revelation of what the lamb (that they name Ada) really is, and the darker overtone of what it means for the human characters involved. Again, however, it's often drowned out by longer moments of monotony and a back-burner story that culminates in quick succession especially considering the slow build-up to the moment. It's a strange, dark folk tale, but too drawn out for its own good.
Offering something truly unique, different, and strange, "Lamb" is weakened by its pacing and development, offering only moments of excitement drowned out by longer moments of silence and offbeat pacing.
The Score: B+
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