![]() The crops are consistent and their flock of sheep is as healthy as ever. A couple lives peacefully on their farm in the valley, with nothing but green hills, quiet streams, and tall encompassing mountains in sight. Loosely inspired by actual Icelandic folklore, Jóhannsson pulls from his roots to form a new kind of twisted narrative. Achieved through creative methods that are more gratifying than simply how “scary” or “bloody” the movie could have been, Lamb feels like a fully realized modern fable. And at the center of Lamb is a moral that, even though somewhat familiar, is uneasy to shake off. That doesn’t mean that certain parts of the film aren’t horrific, as Jóhannsson does explore life and death through the lens of a hybrid, it’s just that horror is used more as a secondary tool in getting its message across. Lamb can be best likened to David Lowery’s A Ghost Story, a deep drama that just so happens to have supernatural elements. As a matter of fact, director/writer Valdimar Jóhannsson doesn’t even consider his film to be horror! His vision will surely be off-putting to anyone hoping for a story about killer sheep, but if one gives Lamb a fair chance, they’ll walk out with a profound experience. ![]() Despite what many of the trailers might have sold, Lamb doesn’t operate as a traditional horror film, or anything close to it. This Icelandic tale of a weary couple and their hybrid lamb child certainly fits right at home in the A24 catalog – a real slow-burner that revels in its bleak yet transfixing atmosphere, complete with its own niche – although it’s quite unfair to pin it at just that. What is posed as A24’s latest horror offering, Lamb proves to be a complex watch.
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