A Reel Review: LAMB

There are many forms that a horror movie can take; slashers, mysteries, torture, bloodbaths, body-horror, sci-fi, and supernatural…to name a few. One of the most effective, and un-nerving forms are the films that make things wrong…while characters go about their business.

 

Maria (Noomi Rapace), and her husband Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Guonason), are sheep-farmers in Iceland morning the loss of their child. When one of their sheep gives birth to a half-human, half-sheep…they decide to raise it as their own child. 

 

Directed by Vladimar Johannson, LAMB first introduces us to Maria and Ingvar as a couple whose grief has overtaken them; the many tasks around the farm are done mundanely, and dinner-time conversations are limited to just a few terse words. When the mysterious, and near-grotesque lamb-child is born (whom they name Ada), the couple learn to be parents and lovers again. 

 

What makes LAMB work so well, despite what should be a silly concept, is its presentation. Vladimar Johannson expertly makes our imaginations go nuts by holding a lot back; it’s what we don’t see that makes the film so un-nerving. We don’t see Ada’s disfiguration until much later, as Johannson uses the actor’s faces and reactions to tell us that something is amiss. The way Ada is conceived is shrouded in mystery until the very end, with the opening sequence being told from the “father’s” perspective. 

 

Shot on location, LAMB is gorgeous to look at; even rainy and cold days look beautiful on the screen. Pacing is deliberate, and the story is told through very little dialogue. The score by Porarinn Guonason is excellent. Ada is a visual miracle as she goes from infant to toddler. Acting is also excellent, with Noomi Rapace leading the way. 

 

LAMB ends in a shock, and while it may not make a lot of sense to some audiences, the film seems to be channeling old Iceland myths and legends…so on the surface it works. From birth to death, LAMB is a creepy affair as we watch this relatable couple raise a half-sheep, half-human child as if nothing is wrong. That’s the type of horror that gets under our skin and stays there. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it