The Movie: Lamb
The Director: Valdimar Jóhannsson
The Cast: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson
The Story: A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn. They soon face the consequences of defying the will of nature, in this dark and atmospheric folktale.
The Review:
Before watching this movie, I was thinking it might be kind of weird. After watching this movie, I am thinking that it is very weird. I mean, I'm all about weird, off the wall movies that steer away from conventional storytelling but they also have to be interesting and engaging and I think that's where this movie is lacking. The idea of the story has a lot of potential and could have provided some pretty amazing moments if it was presented more as a thriller. Instead, we get a sheepish folk tale that is more awkward than awesome.
I am a big fan of Noomi Rapace and am going to watch anything she is in and I will say her performance in the movie is quite good, she just isn't given a whole lot to work with. Her co-stars, Hilmir Snær Guðnason and Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, are just sort of there and don't really add anything dynamic to their performances which removes any sense of urgency or drama although this might be speaking to me wanting more of a thriller than a quiet drama.
I've seen this movie described as horrific and twisted and terrifying but it's really not any of those things so not sure why it's being marketed as such. Maybe A24 knows it's a hard sell so their trying to angle it for first weekend success, or maybe they really think it's all of those things, I don't know. I will say that the Icelandic backdrop is stunningly beautiful when director Valdimar Jóhannsson turns his cameras to such things but most of the time, all we get to see is the muted, grey house that the couple lives in.
The Verdict:
Lamb is a movie. Not quite sure what it's trying to be as a movie but it sure is weird. What makes it weirder is how the characters in the movie experience the weirdest things and are just like, "Okay, cool. Gonna go fishing now."
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