Alright kiddies, time to gather around the fireplace for another magical fairy tale. Oh, scratch that, this is a movie so you’d need to gather not around but at the local movie theatre or multiplex. And one more thing, this story’s similar to a bedtime tale, but it’s really not for the “wee folk” (unless you want them to cease slumbering for a long time). Now, it is set in a faraway, but very real, land though it may seem that it’s on the edge of the “Twilight Zone”, or perhaps “Castle Rock”. Oh but there are some cuddly animals in the story which is certainly reflected in its simple title, LAMB.
That faraway place is Iceland, and in the opening minutes it’s living up to its name. A herd of small wild horses is tromping through a blinding white landscape. They slow as the leader of the group spies something as his eyes widen. That’s when they suddenly change course, dashing away in the opposite direction of…something. Flash forward to warmer times as the story focuses on a married couple who live and work on a desolate farm. Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudanson) barely interact as they work the fields and tend to their sheep, the tiny AM radio as their only background noise. As one of the sheep goes into labor, the duo head into the barn to assist in pulling out the new arrivals. Days later the herd becomes agitated, their cries awaken the couple. Returning to the barn Maria aids in a new birth, but this is quite different. She and Ingvar immediately wrap up the lamb in a blanket, taking it away from its mother as they rush back to their house. They begin raising the lamb as their baby, letting it sleep in an old crib. This causes the mother sheep to stand by the backdoor, bleeting for hours…until Maria “takes care of it”. The next big arrival is Ingvar’s neer’ do well aspiring singer, brother Petur (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson), whose former bandmates dumped him along the road. He is stunned when he sees the new “lamb-child” (a true WTF moment), but he soon settles in to be of temporary help to the couple. Unfortunately, he lusts after Maria (behind Ingvar’s back). But he’s not the only disruption to the dreary routine. Odd noises shatter the tranquil night (though the sun remains out), while their trusted border collie goes missing. Are they being targeted by a mysterious unknown entity, one that may be connected to their “son”?
A talented cast greatly helps in bringing a sense of real drama to the story’s more whimsical aspects. Rapace makes Maria perhaps the most complex and conflicted character of the tale. In the opening sequences the “farmer’s wife’ is simply “going through the motion”, seemingly stuck in “auto pilot’ as she runs the tractor and boils an endless supply of potatoes and beef. Then with the “miracle” Rapace shows us that the light in Maria’s eyes quickly flicker back to life. It’s as though the “mother switch” has been activated, one that also prompts acts of cruelty. Her passion for her hubby is also back, though she half-heartedly deflects the advances of her brother-in-law (in the words of Indiana Jones, “How hard were you trying?”). And in one scene we get a look at the sadness she has tried to suppress, much as Ingvar has. Gudnason as the quiet farmer also sleepwalks through his work and marriage until the “event” jolts him back to reality. He’s quite a contrast to his gregarious brother Petur, who becomes the audience surrogate thanks to the charming work by Haraldsson. He’s just like us when he sees the astounding new family “addition” (the biggest laugh in the somber film), and he even conveys a real “sweetness’, despite his lustful actions.
First-time feature director Valdimar Johannsson creates an uneasy feeling of tension that permeates every scene. The isolation and constant sunshine add to an other-worldly aura that may send the principals into madness, or at least some very poor choices. The script that he co-wrote with Sjon does feel like a modern-day fable, even a cautionary tale, along the lines of “Tom Thumb” via “The Monkey’s Paw”, as a wish is granted, but one with dire consequences. And while such an achingly quiet setting and very stoic characters might send viewers’ minds adrift, instead we’re drawn into this world, so alien yet earthbound. What helps to “sell’ this bizarre “concept” ? I’d offer kudos to a very talented team of artists, with several CGI teams credited along with a throng of puppeteers. Part of me is interested in seeing some “making of” doc-style footage, while another part of me doesn’t want to “peer behind the curtain” and spoil the “magic”. Adventurous film fans were be rewarded for their patience as many scenes will “haunt your dreams” (much like THE WITCH a few years ago). Plus the “outta’ nowhere” ending will keep you in your seat for most of the end credits. LAMB is a nightmarish adult fantasy and a compelling cinema experience.
3 Out of 4
LAMB is now playing in theatres everywhere
