Respond to these rapid questions in our Lamb quiz and we will tell you which Lamb character you are. Play it now.
“Lamb,” an Icelandic pastoral thriller directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson that ruminates on parenthood, family, and nature, stars Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snr Gunason and is a grippingly assured directorial debut. Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snr Gunason) are a couple who are noticeably unhappy. The rural farmers, who live in a remote, mountainous landscape that appears to have been frozen in time, barely exchange words or crack a smile with one another. The hardworking couple just goes about their day, plowing their land, harvesting their crop, and caring for their livestock of lambs, ewes, and horses with the same serious yet joyless dedication that they have always displayed. You can smell a sense of loss in the air that permeates this otherwise tranquil landscape of quietly sharp colors, icy skies, and intimidating soundscapes, despite the fact that it is otherwise tranquil. There is Christmas music playing on the radio, but there isn’t any of the usual holiday spirit in the air. And somewhere out in the wild, an insidious brute is making its way around the couple’s barn, trying to get a foothold on them.
It is only after this period of silent misery that the couple’s happiness finally arrives in the most what-the-f**k-is-this-form-imaginable, the WTF-ness of which is also reacted to by a late-entering character in one of the film’s many subtle moments of deadpan humor. It’s a shocking sight for the audience to witness and accept, and it’s a reveal that presents an enormous writing challenge for any critic attempting to do justice to the film’s pacing by delving into its secrets. Even though “Lamb” is centered on an endearingly unnerving creature who graces the home of Maria and her husband, co-writers Jóhannsson and Sjón (who are also poets and authors) conceal her identity and reveal her visage in such a deliberately slow manner that one thinks twice before describing her and potentially ruining the experience for the readers. In that regard, it’s best to go into “Lamb” with no expectations. As the film progresses, it becomes a mash-up of folkloric psychodrama and chamber horror, with preoccupations and a mood that fall somewhere between Robert Eggers’ “The Witch” and Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” even if the film can’t maintain its raw appeal throughout, unlike the aforementioned titles. Therefore, continue reading only if you don’t mind a few spoilers thrown in there for good measure.
For those of you who are still with me, please meet Ada, a half-lamb, half-human sweetie-pie who was convincingly created with the help of computer-generated imagery (CGI), real animals, and young actors. Maria and Ingvar welcome her into their modest home in such a warm and casual manner that you wonder if they are able to comprehend what the rest of us go through on a daily basis. They feed her, bathe her, and tuck her in as if everything is perfectly normal with this cuddly creature, which they believe to be a gift from Mother Nature to them. When Ingvar’s brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) arrives, their newly found happiness is thrown into disarray. Pétur is a sibling who appears to be close with Ingvar and perhaps even closer than he should be with his sister-in-law, which causes tension between the two of them.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Lamb quiz.
The competitive dynamic that Jóhannsson establishes within the family is both fiendishly entertaining to watch and quickly becomes stale due to a lack of material to build on in the second half of the film. In the same vein, the film’s overarching concerns about parenthood, grief, and mankind’s greedy domination of nature to protect their immediate and selfish interests by any means necessary could be said to be a critique of the film’s central themes. It is especially important for those who are extremely sensitive to animal suffering and casualty to avoid being in the company of those who want their lamb and eat it as well. It’s not so much that co-writers Jóhannsson and Sjón are lacking in original thought when it comes to these topics. For far too long, though, “Lamb” puts them all on a distant back burner, focusing instead on a meaningful exploration of the anxieties at the heart of the story rather than on their skillful aesthetics and tone.
Lamb Quiz
Still, the film’s fierce sense of originality, which you won’t be able to shake and which you won’t be able to look away from, nearly makes up for its lack of depth. When viewed through the eerie, foggy lens of cinematographer Eli Erenson, whose work is reminiscent of Béla Tarr’s enigmatic style (it can’t be a coincidence that Tarr serves as an executive producer on “Lamb”), the visual world of “Lamb” is immersive and soulful, qualities that are matched by Rapace’s expressive presence throughout the film. In spite of the fact that “Lamb” isn’t a completely satisfying stew of style and substance (and could’ve used some sharper scares), it leaves a distinct enough aftertaste to make one want more of Jóhannsson’s distinct weirdness in the future.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Lamb quiz.
The film will be released in theaters on October 8.
For more personality quizzes check this: Lamb Quiz.
