Fantastic Fest 2021: "Lamb" Is A Special Beast
Valdimar Jóhannsson’s feature film debut, Lamb, recently had its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest, and boy, is it a beautifully strange beast! This tantalizing, slow burning, folkloric fable effortlessly blends the real with the inexplicable to create something powerful and unique. Charmingly odd, and hilariously straight-faced, Lamb oozes a compelling mystique that must be seen to be believed.
A childless couple, María and Ingvar discover a mysterious newborn on their farm in Iceland. The unexpected prospect of family life brings them much joy, before ultimately destroying them
Valdimar Jóhannsson’s strongly shepherded debut impressively twists the nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb” into a bizarrely sweet comedic tragedy that chills as much as it warms. The way in which he mixes nature with the fantastical is truly astonishing. The gloomy fog-torn landscapes and stunning cloud-covered mountain vistas cast an eerie spell. Jóhannsson’s long takes establish a strong sense of realism that’s further bolstered by the even mixture of human and animal performances. He firmly grounds the strangeness and takes the necessary time to build a world in which humanity and nature meld into one. Because of that, we never really stop to question its oddity despite all its outlandishness.
For the most part, things begin rather normally. We’re introduced to Maria and her husband Ingvar, two sheep farmers living in remote Iceland. We observe them as they go about their daily routine. Surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, they care for their animals and carry out various chores, but they hardly communicate with each other. It’s clear that there’s more than meets the eye, but Jóhannsson smartly goes light with the dialogue. This is a film that revels in the silences and stillness, and it uses its actor’s body language — man and beast alike — as the primary mode of communication, so much so that we slowly begin to view Maria and Ingvar in the same manner we do their pets and livestock.
One day, their silence and normalcy is broken when one of their sheep gives birth to something peculiar. Jóhannsson takes a less is more approach. He doesn’t immediately show his hand, and he breeds intrigue by holding back on the reveal. You keep waiting for a hoof or a claw to reach up from the cradle, but Jóhannsson cleverly makes you wait for it. All the while, our characters don’t blink an eye; they don’t question this strange miracle one bit — and neither do we when we finally get a peek.
The film is cleanly segmented into three acts, labeled as chapters. Chapter 1 sets up the couple, their farm life, and introduces the strange miracle. Chapter 2 introduces a new character, Pétur, Ingvar’s ne’er-do-well brother, who creates conflict through his differing views on Ingmar and Maria’s mystifying new daughter. Chapter 3 presents background information that thickens the dramatic stew and adds more definition to the characters and their relationships with one another. The last section kind of loses some steam, but like the previous chapters, Jóhannsson keeps everything tightly composed and perpetually shrouded in mystique and compelling oddity.
The performances from its human and animal cast are uniformly incredible, but Noomi Rapace anchors the film and gives Maria depth and complexity. This is easily one of her best performances. Björn Hlynur Haraldsson gives the film some nice moments of levity and tension. The film is deeply funny (and also very cute), and it’s played completely straight, which makes the increasing absurdity of the situation all the more funny. You will laugh, but you’ll also be smothered by charm and cuteness, and draped in sadness, too.
As for that ending, well… it’s an interesting one. It’s going to bewilder a lot of folks. It feels a bit left field and a tad underwhelming, but it earns everything it dishes out. It teases its big reveal subtly throughout, in its sound design, reflections (like animal’s eyes), and foreboding liminal soaces. There’s also a heavy emphasis on windows, which gives the impression that the family is being observed. The payoff might not be as big as you hope, but the impeccable craftsmanship is certainly admirable.
Overall, Lamb is a film about parenthood, strange miracles, and the monstrous power of nature, and it marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in cinema. It evokes the otherworldliness of Border and the hazy, mesmerizing atmospherics of The Lighthouse, but it’s 100% its own beast. There’s a lot about this film that we absolutely love, and we can’t wait to see it again.
Recommendation: Definitely give Lamb a watch when it releases on October 8th. It’s a very unique, funny, and touching film, and it’s a sure to draw interesting actions out of a crowd.
Rating: 4.5 nose kisses outta 5.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!