REEL TALK: ‘Lamb’, a mystery of epic proportions | Culture & Leisure

Every year there is always a movie that many, including me, consider to be the WTF Movie of the Year. This year, at least so far, his Lamb, co-written and directed by Valdimar Jhannsson and starring Noomi Rapace.

Classified as drama / horror / mystery, this haunting portrayal of a couple unable to have and raise children defies classification. As the mystifying story unfolds (pun intended you’ll see) it borders on the ridiculous, but there’s something holding you back until the end. And even that ending raises a lot of questions.

We meet Maria (Raptor) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snr Gunason) living in the most isolated and sterile segment of Iceland, trying to breed and raise sheep. The disturbing mist that settles on the volcanic rock welcomes the guttural breathing of an unknown entity in the barn.

The animals sense what is about to happen, but Maria and Ingvar, who lead quiet and routine lives, may not. Winter turns into spring and as the ground begins to thaw, they work the land and find the fruits of their labor rewarded with the birth of several new lambs. But a lamb offers a surprise that will change this couple forever.

Lamb is an atmospheric phenomenon that superficially touches the absurd. However, it’s the layers that stir just beneath this surface, much like the volcanoes surrounding lives that they could easily wipe out, that make this film so fascinating.

With little dialogue, the visual aesthetic carries much of the story as we watch Maria and Ingvar come back to life and Ingvar’s famous older brother Ptur (Bjrn Hlynur Haraldsson) returns.

The first layer to peel off finds a man and a woman whose lives are not just repetitive but empty. Tragedy and loss have created a wedge between the two with a healing balm nowhere to be found.

The hard life of agriculture in Iceland is reflected in the relationship of Marias and Ingvars; sterile and sorry. The birth of the lamb, however, is a gift that helps the two reconnect and find a reason to truly relive some kind of rebirth.

A lamb, a rebirth, an inexplicable creation of unknown origins, reminds us of the Christian religion, and the analogies do not end there. We see three crosses on a hill as Maria visits a family cemetery.

The red-bleached window frames on the outside of the house, framing the couple with their new addition, reminds us of Passover and, of course, there’s Ptur, who denied what he saw, much like the disciple Peter.

The parallels between this story and Christianity cannot be denied, especially with its ending, but the constant intrinsic questioning throughout the entire film spins your mind as it slowly reveals the nature of the beast. (Again, pun intended.)

Lamb is a silent film because it uses striking cinematic elements to capture the cold, harsh and unwelcoming feel of the surroundings. Color, or the lack of it, is just as important as the shades of white and black mixing with a subdued gray throughout much of the movie, but when we see green, a color of fertility, it awakens our visual senses, alerting us to what to do. come even if it is only unconsciously. It never seems obvious, but the cinematographer and director pay close attention to the importance of color.

In the calm, Rapace and Gunason find a familiar tone together. Initially it was simply a matter of existing in an empty world, automatically performing household chores but ultimately reliving life at least for a while.

It’s easy to believe that they’ve been together for a long time and have succumbed to nature’s will. The ease of their silence or laughter is genuine as we watch them read as easily as a book. Haraldsson adds just the right element of reality to this bizarre situation, as his reactions are exactly what viewers might be to begin with.

The blurring is intentional, as giving more would ruin the element of utter surprise and disbelief.

Lamb creates a chat after you catch your breath at the end. Dive deep and see, hear and feel this movie, but be warned: this is the WTF movie of the year.

Reel Talk rating: 3 stars

Pamela Powell is a film critic based in Bourbonnais and member of the CFCA, CCA, and certified Rotten Tomatoes critic. Writing reviews for 10 years, Pamela can also be found on WCIA TV in Champaign. She can be contacted at pampowell5@att.net