Lamb

Name: Lamb
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Horror
Released: October 8, 2021
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 68
Cast: Arnþruður Dögg Sigurðardóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ester Bibi, Gunnar Þor Karlsson, Hilmir Snær Guðnason

2021

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Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 73 Ratings

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6.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 73 Ratings

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Lamb (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

A24 | Release Date: October 8, 2021 | R

Starring: Arnþruður Dögg Sigurðardóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ester Bibi, Gunnar Þor Karlsson, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Lára Björk Hall, Noomi Rapace, Sigurður Elvar Viðarson, Theodór Ingi Ólafsson

Summary: 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.

Director: Valdimar Jóhannsson

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

Joe Morgenstern

Oct 8, 2021

In scene after scene we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re sure it will be worth the wait, especially because of Ms. Rapace’s presence. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Oct 7, 2021

Slow-moving and inarguably nutty, Lamb nevertheless wields its atavistic power with the straightest of faces, helped in no small measure by an Oscar-worthy cast of farm animals. Read full review

The Observer (UK) Simran Hans

Jan 11, 2022

Jóhannsson teases the possibility of a monster, but waits to reveal his hand. When he does, there’s more than a touch of gallows humour. I laughed out loud at his audacity, and had nightmares later. Read full review

David Fear

Oct 11, 2021

What felt like an unusual metaphor for how parenting taps into an inherent need to nurture suddenly swerves into Grimms’ fairy-tale territory. It’s the sweetest, most touching waking nightmare you’ve ever experienced. Read full review

Robert Abele

Oct 7, 2021

Set on a remote farm in the Icelandic tundra that could center either a horror film or a children’s fable, Valdimar Jóhannsson’s debut feature — which is sorta both — is in certain ways unexplainable, and in other ways as straightforward as a family portrait. Read full review

Empire Ian Freer

Dec 9, 2021

Centred by a committed, affecting performance by Noomi Rapace, Lamb gets over its longueurs and missteps with interesting ideas, filmmaking craft and a unique tone of voice. Also includes some of the best animal acting of the year. Read full review

Richard Brody

Oct 11, 2021

Lamb preens and strains to be admired even as it reduces its characters to pieces on a game board and its actors to puppets. Read full review

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User Reviews

CharlesM

Oct 9, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lamb is to Animal Farm as Elephant (2003) is to Elephant (1989). It is a story of our times told through allegory. Despite the low budget and minimal cast and filming location, it has a lot to offer in narrative and cinematography. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of symbolism, Russian literature, and/or precision storytelling. I do not recommend this film to literally anyone else. You will not enjoy it, you will think it is slow, you will think nothing happens, you will think the "twist" is underdone, etc. Honestly can say, Lamb is my new favorite film, and I eagerly await Valdimar Jóhannsson's next project.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

In most basic terms, Lamb, to me (I will only emphasize this once, this is my opinion, I do not pretend there is an exact takeaway from any work of art, as art is subjective) is about the struggle between old and new, framed in the trope of man vs nature. I do not think this film was exactly political, but I will use the terms conservative and liberal in reference to their respective philosophies. Conservative being the will to remain true to tradition, the way things have always been. Liberal being the will to bring about change at any cost. I think each character represents a specific point on the spectrum between neo-conservative and neo-liberal. The mother lamb being neo-conservative, the brother being conservative, the dog being neutral, the father being liberal, and the mother being neo-liberal. The lamb itself is not a character, but an idea. A third party ("the twist", or "the monster", or "the naked sheep man") conceived this idea. The idea was born, and the neo-liberal hijacked it and raised it as her own. The neo-conservative objected and took a stand against the perversion. The neo-liberal, unconfident in her actions against nature (the conservative ideal), silenced the neo-conservative (the only thing standing in her way of change) with a weapon. The conservative literally drops into the story. He initially objects to the perversion, but is too distracted by consumerism (cigarettes, sports, alcohol) to become uncomfortable enough to take action. In fact, when he does muster the strength to use the weapon against the idea, he eventually concedes. He is all talk, no game (see Facebook boomers). I have more to say on the mid portion of the movie, but I will leave that up to you to determine. The ending, though, is brilliant. Eventually, he who conceived the idea comes to take the idea back. In this struggle, the neutral party is killed in the crossfire, leaving only the extremes to duke it out. Using the same weapon used to silence the neo-conservative, the new conservative force silences the liberal, leaving only two polar opposites. Old vs new. But now, both sides are moved to physical action against each other in pursuit of their ideal world. This is the paradigm shift. In my opinion this is telling us that without balance in the progression of society, the liberal philosophy will always prevail. For a conservative force to meet the liberal, though, would be as impossible as the mythical goat man that represented it. This is just my take, though.

I've heard many critiques of the film. None of them attempted to interpret it at any more than face value. Walking out of the theater, I spoke with a man claiming to have a master's in English writing. He said the movie was horrible. I pleaded with him to the contrary, describing the symbolism. He simply didn't see it. If the Russian revolution never occurred, yet Animal Farm was still written verbatim, would it still be an allegory? In the same vein, if you weren't aware of the tides that move us today, would you realize that a story was calling it to your attention? I don't think his master's degree in English failed him, no, I think the true horror of the movie lies in the ignorance of the masses, the sheep, to the greater meaning of our world.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

ChanekeCholo

Jan 2, 2022

The shock of appreciating some moments of this film is abysmal. Is a simple story and it develops slowly, but it's full of very captivating and disturbing nuances.
From the first impression upon seeing the lamb, the film grabs you and keeps you on the edge of your seat in a rather strangeThe shock of appreciating some moments of this film is abysmal. Is a simple story and it develops slowly, but it's full of very captivating and disturbing nuances.
From the first impression upon seeing the lamb, the film grabs you and keeps you on the edge of your seat in a rather strange and attractive visual tension.
It manages to generate a quite large impact visually and conceptually speaking just like it companions in the A24 (Hereditary, Midsommar, The Lighthouse, The Witch, Saint Maud, etc.), while achieving a unique and incomparable style.
The performances were great, even the lamb. The directing of Valdimar Jóhannsson takes advantage of everything he has at his fingertips, captivating us with a unique vision and leaving us with much to think about.
Maybe at first, you won't really understand the film in all its complexity, you just need a little explanation of the meaning of the film and from there, you begin to raise your own theories and interpretations of the film.
Nevertheless, at times, for a strange reason, I felt like I was watching another live action film of Stuart Little, but this doesn't last long.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tracer66

Nov 14, 2021

Inventive and fresh, Lamb serves up the chops dark, brooding and deeply bizarre.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gomesX

Jan 11, 2022

Different, call it ancient folk tale, supernatural or sentimental even if it sounds strange.

"Lamb" is one of those movies that even after watching you still try to assimilate and process, call it what you want, drama, or suspense, it's a strange movie mixed with love and realism. Set inDifferent, call it ancient folk tale, supernatural or sentimental even if it sounds strange.

"Lamb" is one of those movies that even after watching you still try to assimilate and process, call it what you want, drama, or suspense, it's a strange movie mixed with love and realism. Set in rural Iceland on a farm, a couple named Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar enjoy life, but something is missing: they have no children, something that is a place in their hearts that is burning and oozing.

So, in addition to the hard work of cultivating and feeding, the place is surrounded by animals, they have a dog and a cat, but the lamb comes into the picture as a flock of beautiful sheep. So things get weird and crazy when a calf is born and born, while being raised as a couple and feeling like a human baby. The film shows the tension and attachment of worry, love and uncertainty. Only at the end does the image distort like a strange folk fairy tale. Overall, "Lamb" may not be liked by everyone, but it's worth watching for its different and strange feel as it leaves the viewer thinking and processing its meaning and life and love story.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bertobellamy

Dec 31, 2021

I liked it, although I wish I would've liked it better. The whole situation the film revolves about is as awkward as funny. But I felt there was some lack of substance in here. The brother, for example, serves no purpose at all in the film; and I think the story only explores the surfaceI liked it, although I wish I would've liked it better. The whole situation the film revolves about is as awkward as funny. But I felt there was some lack of substance in here. The brother, for example, serves no purpose at all in the film; and I think the story only explores the surface when it comes to grief. Loved the premise, but the execution was not what I expected. Go and see 'Annette' for a better freak child film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

easterfields

Oct 10, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was all in for the first 90% of the movie. Sure it was a slow burn and there were some very strange plot choices that never seemed to go anywhere, but I had hoped that somehow everything would come together in a beautiful blasphemy of disturbing reveals in the final act. It doesn't. And it's a shame that I felt so underwhelmed by the ending, because all the things I had issues with (the reveal of the baby's body too soon, the CGI looking very outdated, the husband's brother serving absolutely no purpose to the plot whatsoever, the overall look of the end creature, the plot's crawling pace, etc.) could've all been forgiven with a truly epic conclusion that I felt was a worthwhile payoff. But it wasn't. And instead, after watching the one person who was truly innocent throughout the film (aside from the child) get murdered for no other reason than a 5-year plan of revenge by the goat f*****, I can't help but to feel let down. The concept is terrific. The acting is great. The cinematography is absolutely astounding to say the least! They had all the tools to knock this one out of the park, but instead it feels more like a ground ball to first base. The end creature could've been much more disturbing than some tall naked goat-man (how does he survive the below 0° temperatures in winter?). Baphomet or even Krampus (the movie literally starts off at Christmas) would've been so much more intriguing than what we got. Alas, I was suckered by a very very misleading and actually downright deceptive trailer for this film. Not cool.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

fgoulart

Oct 30, 2021

Crap, don’t waist your time. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmerdddddddaassssssssdddddddd

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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