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In the Icelandic pastoral thriller “ Lamb ,” director Valdimar Jóhannsson ’s grippingly assured directorial debut that ruminates on parenthood, family and nature, Maria ( Noomi Rapace ) and Ingvar ( Hilmir Snær Guðnason ) are noticeably unhappy. Living on a remote, mountainous landscape that looks to be frozen in time, the rural farmers barely exchange words or crack a smile. Stern faced and muscularly poised, the hardworking couple just go about their day, plowing their land, harvesting their crop and tending to their livestock of lambs, ewes and horses with the same serious yet joyless dedication. You can sniff a sense of loss in the atmosphere that penetrates this otherwise tranquil scenery of quietly sharp colors, icy skies, and intimidating soundscapes. There is Christmas music on the radio, but none of the customary holiday cheer in the air. And somewhere out there in the wild, an insidious brute is making its rounds around the couple’s barn.

It’s on the heels of this silent misery that the duo’s happiness finally arrives in the most what-the-f**k-is-this form imaginable, the WTF-ness of which a late-entering character also reacts to in one of the film’s various moments of subtle deadpan comedy. A shocking sight for the viewer to receive and accept, it’s a reveal that also presents an immense writing challenge for any critic attempting to do justice to the film’s pacing through its secrets. While the adorably unnerving creature that blesses the household of Maria and Ingvar is very much the premise of “Lamb,” co-writers Jóhannsson and Sjón (also a poet and an author) conceal her identity and expose her visage in such a studiously slow fashion that one thinks twice before describing her and possibly ruining the experience for the readers. In that regard, it’s best to go completely cold into “Lamb,” which increasingly becomes a mongrel of a folkloric psychodrama and chamber horror, with preoccupations and a mood that fall somewhere between Robert Eggers ’ “ The Witch ” and Ari Aster ’s “ Midsommar ” even when the film can’t sustain its raw appeal all the way through unlike these aforesaid titles. That said, continue reading on only if you aren’t all too concerned about spoilers.

Those who are still with me: meet Ada, a half lamb-half human sweetie-pie believably created with the help of some CGI puppetry as well as real animals and young actors. Maria and Ingvar welcome her into their modest home so warmly and casually that you wonder whether they are able to see what the rest of us do. They feed her, bathe her, and tuck her in like everything is extremely normal with this cuddly creature, supposedly a gift that nature has bestowed upon them. What throws their newfound contentment off is the arrival of Ingvar’s brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), a sibling evidently close with Ingvar, and perhaps closer than he needs to be with his sister-in-law.

The rivalrous dynamic Jóhannsson establishes within the household is both fiendishly fun to follow, and one that wears thin fast with not much to expand on. The same could be said about 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. (Those who are extremely sensitive towards animal suffering and casualty should especially beware the company of these people who want to have their lamb and eat it too.) It’s not so much that co-writers Jóhannsson and Sjón lack deep ideas around these themes. But “Lamb” puts them all on an obscure backburner for far too long, prioritizing its skillful aesthetics and tone over a meaningful exploration of the anxieties at its heart.

Still, a fierce sense of originality you won’t be able to shake and look away from nearly makes up for the film’s relative lack of depth. Seen through the spooky, foggy lens of cinematographer Eli Erenson that recalls the enigmatic style of Béla Tarr (it can’t be a coincidence that Tarr is an executive producer here), the visual world of “Lamb” is immersive and soulful, qualities matched by Rapace’s expressive presence at every turn. While it’s not a thoroughly satisfying stew of style and substance—plus, it could’ve used some sharper scares—“Lamb” nonetheless leaves a unique enough aftertaste for one to crave more of the same distinctive weirdness from Jóhannsson in the future.

Available in theaters on October 8.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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Lamb (2021)

Rated R for some bloody violent images and sexuality/nudity.

106 minutes

Valdimar Jóhannsson

Cinematographer

Eli Arenson
Agnieszka Glinska

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‘Lamb’ Review: Noomi Rapace Adopts a Uniquely Strange Baby in Striking Motherhood Horror

A slow-burn contemporary folk horror that beds a ludicrous central twist so deep in damp Icelandic austerity you can almost believe it.

By Jessica Kiang

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Splicing the dark heart of a folk-horror movie into the fluffy body of a rural Icelandic relationship drama yields unexpectedly fertile and darkly comic effects in Valdimir Jóhannsson ‘s creepy-funny-weird-sad “Lamb,” a film that proves just how far disbelief can be suspended if you’re in the hands of a director — and a cast, and an SFX/puppetry department — who really commit to the bit. Abetted by a performance of unwaveringly invested, freckled seriousness from Noomi Rapace (whose Icelandic certainly sounds convincing to a non-Nordic ear), “Lamb” is as curious a cross-breed as its central little miracle-monster, and just as much a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Way out here on this isolated hillside, something is spooking the horses. In a majestic beginning, featuring some quite brilliant animal acting (“Lamb” won a Cannes Palm Dog Grand Prix for its canine performer, but were there equivalents for equine, feline and of course ovine actors, it would surely have swept the board), the camera prowls and plods its point-of-view way through misty fields. Finally this unseen, not-human-but-not-wholly-animal entity, whose unheimlich nature we understand through the huffing and snorting of Ingvar Lunderg and Björn Viktorsson’s endlessly inventive sound design, and through the panicked fleeing of livestock at its approach, arrives at the sheep barn. Docile ewes huddle together, but one is singled out and something is done to her. The radio plays a Christmas song.

This eerie opening is a fantastic showcase for DP Eli Arenson’s starkly beautiful photography, which plays to the opposite end of the horror spectrum from the jump scare or the sudden wobble; it finds steadiness to be much more scary, and calmness much more uncanny (here, perhaps, we most see the influence of Béla Tarr, Jóhannsson’s erstwhile mentor, whose name pops up as executive producer). The farm belongs to Maria (Rapace) and her partner, Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Gudnason), a hardworking, taciturn couple who, it transpires, are still grieving the loss of a child. Who knows if the silence that exists between them — not a hostile one but a silence nonetheless — only started after that tragedy, or if that’s just who they are. But certainly, the quiet of these misty, mountainous surroundings is unbroken by chatter, and that emptiness, carefully circumnavigated by the couple, becomes a perfect breeding ground for some arcane, perhaps pagan mythology to take root. When the ewe gives birth to a strange hybrid, the immediately lovestruck Maria and Ingvar adopt her as their own. They call her Ada.

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Jóhannsson is hesitant to the point of coy about showing Ada — it happens at about the 40-minute mark, long after we’ve guessed what she actually is. And the teasing of so much artful framing, so many awestruck reaction shots, so many close-ups of Rapace’s sharp features softening into fuzzy maternal fondness, can get frustrating — just show us the thing already . But once Ada is shown (an excellent combination of practical and special effects) — and it’s a novelty image that never loses its inherent ridiculousness especially after she gets big enough to wear cute waders and dungarees — the decision to delay makes more sense. By that point, we’re so embedded in the heavy, absolutely straight-faced mood that Jóhannsson summons that even the absurdity of Ada’s little person cannot dispel the atmosphere of unease.

For a time, things go well. The new parents are contented, even if Maria does display the ruthless side of her maternal instincts toward Ada’s pining birth mother. But then Ingvar’s ne’er-do-well brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), with whom Maria has some torrid romantic history, shows up in need of a place to stay, and suddenly this little “Iceland of Dr. Moreau” setup is under threat from a witness from the outside.

Pétur’s slow-blink reaction on being introduced to Ada is another masterstroke of delayed timing, here deployed for overtly humorous effect, giving the otherwise quite prodigiously unsmiling film a nice, cathartic belly laugh. But soon Pétur, too, is won over by the little tyke — the screenplay, tersely co-written by Jóhannsson and Icelandic writer, poet and lyricist Sjón (who also co-wrote Robert Eggers’ upcoming “The Northman”), hints at but never quite develops the idea of Ada’s slightly supernatural ability to make the adult humans around her fall for her. Similarly undercooked is a vaguely emergent religious analogy, with the film’s nativity-like opening — near a manger at Christmas — and Maria’s own name and occasional Madonna-like framing never really adding up to a real thesis.

Perhaps that’s because the storytelling most evoked here is pre-Christian, mythological, folkloric, the kind of discomfiting stories that were not designed to soothe children at bedtime but to threaten people — often mothers — with horrible punishments for upsetting the natural balance and grabbing more than their share of happiness from fate’s cruel, capricious claws. No matter how pure your intentions nor how real your pain, these ancient myths all teach us, debts always come due, and the chilling denouement of Jóhannsson’s dark, deliberate debut suggests that is what “Lamb” is: a modern-day take on some ancient, pre-Disneyfication fairy tale. Or, perhaps, a nursery rhyme with a sinister history encoded into its simple, spartan, sing-song melody: Maria had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow …

Reviewed in Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), July 13, 2021. Running time: 106 MIN. (Original title: "Dýrið")

Production: (Iceland-Sweden-Poland) An A24 presentation of a Go to Sheep, Spark Film & TV and Madants production, in co-production with Film I Väst, Chimney Sweden, Chimney Poland, Rabbithole Prods., Helgi Jóhannsson. (World sales: New Europe Film Sales, Warsaw). Producers: Hrönn Kristinsdóttir, Sara Nassim, Piodor Gustafsson, Erik Rydell, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Jan Naszewski. Executive producers: Noomi Rapace, Béla Tarr, Håkan Petterson, Jon Mankell, Marcin Drabinski, Peter Possne, Zuzanna Hencz.
Crew: Director: Valdimar Jóhannsson. Screenplay: Sjón, Jóhannsson. Camera: Eli Arenson. Editor: Agnieszka Glinska. Music: Thórarinn Gudnason.
With: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Gudnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Sigurdsson. (Icelandic dialogue)

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‘Lamb’ Review: Oh No, Not My Baby!

A strange birth on an Icelandic farm bodes ill for a grieving couple in this eerie debut feature.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

If movies had smells, “Lamb” would reek of wet wool and dry hay, icy mist and animal breath. Bathed in the sort of unforgiving, glacial light that has actresses begging for a pink filter, this atmospheric debut feature from Valdimar Johannsson plays like a folk tale and thrums like a horror movie.

Maria and Ingvar (Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) are a childless couple who run an isolated sheep farm in rural Iceland. It’s lambing season, and a mysterious, initially unexplained melancholy hangs over the couple’s calm labors. When a pregnant ewe delivers something that’s neither man nor beast — a tiny hybrid, revealed to us only gradually — Maria and Ingvar are alarmingly unfazed, swaddling the creature and installing it in a crib in their bedroom. They name it Ada.

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. (The determination of Ada’s real mother to reunite with her offspring is downright chilling.) With deadpan skill, Johannsson and his fellow writer, the Icelandic poet and novelist Sjon, spin an ominous warning about the danger of seeking happiness through delusion — a peril that Ingvar’s black-sheep brother (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson), arriving for a visit, tries unsuccessfully to avert. And as the movie creeps toward its shockingly appropriate climax, the filmmakers’ grip on tone is almost uncanny.

Relishing the wild beauty of the location, the fantastic cinematographer Eli Arenson eyes foggy fields and frightened horses with unruffled awe. When he turns his camera on Ada (an impressive blend of actors, animals, puppetry and CGI), the sight is at once ludicrous and strangely touching. After all, doesn’t every parent think their child is perfect?

Lamb Rated R for matricide, patricide and kidnapping. In Icelandic, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. In theaters.

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“Lamb,” Reviewed: A Horror Film Where Cleverness Is the Problem

By Richard Brody

A still from the movie “Lamb” showing a man holding a small lamb and standing next to a woman.

The horror-proximate fantasy “Lamb,” which opens Friday in theatres, is the first feature by the Icelandic director Valdimar Jóhannsson (who co-wrote the script with the musician and novelist Sjón), and it plays more like a calling card, a display of professionalism, than an experience. There are only about twenty minutes of its one-and-three-quarter-hour running time that sustain any interest, thanks to a late-breaking twist of industrial-strength cleverness. The narrative trickery that sets up the story—and the sense of a setup is palpable throughout—results in a grossly oversimplified tale that reeks of cynicism. “Lamb” preens and strains to be admired even as it reduces its characters to pieces on a game board and its actors to puppets.

The subject of “Lamb” is a fantasy that’s planted with meticulous yet narrow attention to a realistic context. María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) are a young couple on a farm in a remote part of Iceland. They grow crops (most prominently, potatoes) and they raise a few dozen sheep, which live in a barn a short walk across sloping fields from their comfortable and casual little farmhouse. Their workdays involve driving a tractor, leading the sheep through fields, schlepping hay for the sheep to eat, preparing meals, helping sheep give birth, tagging and logging the new arrivals. But their regular routine is disturbed by the barking of their dog near the barn; the couple go in to see what’s up with the sheep, and, looking surprised, note that one of the sheep has given birth without help. Taking the newborn in her arms, María brings it back to the farmhouse, where, wrapped in a blanket, it lives in a metal washtub. They feed it milk with a baby bottle and raise it in the house, dragging a crib from a storage area to a space next to their own bed, where the swaddled lamb will live.

Despite glimpses of the grand, mountainous Icelandic locale and of activities in the house and on the farm, “Lamb” offers virtually no characterization, no inner life, no substance. There’s nothing wrong with a mystery filmed from the outside, in which only observation of the characters elicits clues. But “Lamb” constructs its characters solely as clue generators; their identity is limited to their function. The gap between what the characters know (or, for that matter, who they are) and what they’re shown doing is blatant and frustrating; it makes the movie resemble pages of redacted testimony on which there are more stripes of black ink than legible text. It is, for instance, only a third of the way through the film that the lamb in question is revealed to be actually a hybrid of lamb and human—her head is that of a lamb, and her right arm is a lamb’s furry foreleg, but the rest of her body is humanoid. This fact, known instantly by the couple and weighing on them like some sort of grave matter, is kept a secret from viewers.

María and Ingvar name the ovine girl Ada (pronounced “ahda”), dress her in sweaters and pants, and raise her as their daughter. A few years pass. Ada is now a calm toddler, who walks upright; she doesn’t speak, but she understands what María and Ingvar say. Then the family gets a visitor—Ingvar’s ne’er-do-well brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), a former rock musician, who is rudely dumped from the trunk of a car onto their property by a trio of people whom María and Ingvar assume are his creditors. María and Ingvar are surprised that Pétur has returned, which is to say that he used to live or visit there; it’s never made clear, but this is in any case the first time he’s been there in years, and thus the first time that he meets Ada. His skepticism about the couple’s decision to raise her takes on an especially bitter and menacing edge, for reasons that are only very belatedly and very thinly suggested to the viewer (but are instantly obvious to all three adults). María and Ingvar fear that Pétur is going to do something to harm Ada or otherwise get rid of her, and this air of fear and menace—combined with Pétur’s efforts to spark an affair with María—drives the drama.

There is nothing anywhere in the film to suggest what María and Ingvar are thinking. For the first ten minutes, they don’t say a word. When they’re shown reading or writing, the substance is neither seen nor heard. When they finally do speak to each other, it’s to exchange banalities. They say nothing of substance about their daily lives or immediate concerns—for instance, not a word to each other about Ada’s unusual form, about any practicalities that it entails, about the significance to them of her presence. Something has been out of whack in the household (hint: the crib in the storage room) but, much as it’s in the forefront of the couple’s minds, even in their activities, the information isn’t dropped in the film until very late, and then only as a virtual onscreen Post-it. (In a prime example of the director’s cagey, shticky way with information, even the protagonists’ names are dropped late into the story.)

Physical labor is dispatched in similarly emblematic ways. Do María and Ingvar sell the sheep? Butcher the sheep? It’s never shown, or even suggested. Their isolation—do they have any friends, any other relatives, any visitors who might also register surprise at Ada’s unusual form? None that are seen, and the story appears to span about five years. Pétur’s skepticism regarding the couple’s raising of Ada is similarly dispatched in a hollow sentence or two. The silences that follow the scant, merely informative dialogue are stupefying silences in which characters are conspicuously turned empty, as if by directorial fiat. Even the movie’s images are stultifyingly retentive, offering information in serenely decorative form and even cutting the best elements—its rare closeups of Ada and of sheep—to merely indicative snippets.

In part, the frustration that “Lamb” elicits is a function of the craft that obviously went into its making. The problem is that all of the evident thought was channelled narrowly into making sure that the story sticks its landing. Far from considering the implications and possibilities opened by its story, the film’s careful organization stifles them. Without any loose ends—and without any conceptual or stylistic audacity behind its sparseness—“Lamb” appears cut off not only from its characters’ inner lives but from the inner life of its creators. Films of humanoid hybrids are having a moment: Julia Ducournau’s “ Titane ” is also currently in theatres, and the director follows the implications of its fantasy premise to wild extremes; what it lacks in the overt voicing of its characters’ subjectivity it furiously and splendidly makes up for with the director’s own teeming inner worlds and visionary imaginings. “Lamb” reduces fantasy to an excuse and imagination to a product. To my surprise, it won the Prize of Originality in the “Un Certain Regard” section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This, and its over-all acclaim, offer a grim view of the state of the art house. If awards it must get, give its twenty twisty minutes an Oscar for Best Live Action Short and be done with it.

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‘lamb’ (‘dýrið’): film review | cannes 2021.

Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Gudnason play Icelandic sheep farmers who seize on a startling discovery during lambing season as a way to heal their pain in Valdimar Johannsson's first feature.

By David Rooney

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A sheep-farming couple in rugged rural Iceland receive what they interpret to be an unexpected gift from nature to soothe the pain of a lingering loss in Lamb . But nature sees things differently in Valdimar Johannsson’s wild and weird folkloric drama, laced with brooding genre elements that veer into horror and a vigorous jolt of WTF humor. The stunningly assured first feature will put the director on the map in ways not dissimilar to Robert Eggers’ The Witch . The two films share certain tonal elements, notably a steadily building dread conjured out of long silences, an eerie loneliness and a bold grasp of the dark mysteries of human-animal relations.

Full credits

Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard) Cast: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Gudnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Sigurdsson Production companies: Go to Sheep, Spark Film & TV, Madants, in association with Film I Väst, Chimney Sweden, Chimney Poland, Rabbithole Productions, Helgi Jóhannsson Distribution: A24 Director: Valdimar Johannsson Screenwriters: Sjón, Valdimar Johannsson Producers: Hrönn Kristinsdóttir, Sara Nassim, Piodor Gustafsson, Erik Rydell, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Jan Naszewski Executive producers: Noomi Rapace, Béla Tarr, Håkan Petterson, Jon Mankell, Marcin Drabinski, Peter Possne, Zuzanna Hencz Director of photography: Eli Arenson Production designer: Snorri Freyr Hilmarsson Costume designer: Margrét Einarsdóttir Music: Thórarinn Gudnason Editor: Agnieszka Glinska Sound designers: Ingvar Lunderg, Björn Viktorsson Visual effects supervisors: Peter Hjorth, Fredrik Nord Sales: New Europe Film Sales

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‘Lamb’ Is the Sweetest, Most Touching Horror-Movie Nightmare You’ve Ever Seen

By David Fear

You know something isn’t right in Lamb, the odd, unsettling, soon-to-be-your-cult-movie-of-choice straight outta Iceland, from the moment you see the look. It’s a glance exchanged between a husband (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) and a wife ( Prometheus ‘ Noomi Rapace ). We’ve already watched them go about their daily routines on their remote farm, quietly tending to their flock of sheep, tilling soil, exchanging pleasantries and what seems like the coldest of comforts. A heaviness hangs over the couple; an empty child’s room points towards something too tragic to speak of. One winter evening, as they’re assisting a ewe with the birth of her lambs, the last of the animal’s offspring attract their attention. The weak, quiet sound its making suggests it’s the runt of the litter. Given the weather outside, the poor thing probably won’t last the night.

And that’s when the look happens. Both seem confused, concerned, but somehow awakened from a slumber. There is a distinct shift in their dynamic. They wrap up the tiny creature in a blanket, take it into the house, and the wife feeds it with a bottle. Later, we see her swaddling the lamb, cradling it in her arms as she walks in circles, whispering a lullaby into its ear and lulling it to sleep. A viewer, at this point, is likely to wonder what, exactly is going on. Why are they so attached to this lamb? Why are they treating it like a baby? What’s up with the sheep standing outside their door, bleating angrily at them, giving them the livestock stink-eye?

Director Valdimar Jóhannsson is toying with us, keeping things cryptic, dropping tiny bits of information here and there, just enough to keep folks one half-step behind everything. Eventually, he lets down the curtain so we get a better picture of what’s going on — at which point his debut feature somehow becomes a hundred times creepier, and a thousand times more poignant. It’s a horror movie, to be sure, and one with a particularly disturbing visual at the center of it. (A hearty congratulations to the VFX team that worked on this.) No matter how many times it repeats or slightly varies, that image remains the key to what makes Lamb tick, as well as what makes it so moving. 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.

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That isn’t to say that the rest of the elements — the other ingredients in Lamb ‘s stew — aren’t wonderful (Rapace is particularly on point, even when the story dips headfirst into the weird, and then the even-weirder), or that they don’t contribute to the exact combination of tender and disturbing Jóhannsson is chasing. Another person eventually joins this trio, a louche, leather-jacketed hipster (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), who turns out to be the husband’s brother. He initially appears to be a potential threat to the couple’s newfound paradise, then possibly an ally, and eventually someone who, along with his fellow humans, may have to answer for what has happened. To say more would itself be a crime. It’s a movie that demands you experience it on its own terms. But it bears mentioning that Lamb does remind us that it’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature. That matriarchal force has a way of pushing back, hard.

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Review: Horror haunts the edges of darkly meditative Icelandic folk tale ‘Lamb’

A man holding an animal stands with a woman in a field in the movie “Lamb.”

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In “Lamb,” Valdimar Jóhannsson’s directorial debut, the eyes have it.

It’s the eyes, both animal and human, that convey more than any speech, starting with a herd of chubby, wild-eyed ponies that scatter in a snowstorm upon recognition of an encroaching presence.

That menacing force remains largely unseen around the edges of this folk tale, though it’s alluded to in the gaze of an anxious sheepdog, or a watchful house cat skeptically standing sentry. Ominous mountains look down upon the pastoral arena where this fantastical yet meditative rural drama plays out; it’s a modern folk tale about the strange realities of life and death that such a closeness to nature affords.

As Maria, Noomi Rapace ’s eyes are constantly searching, both the dramatic landscape and the face of her husband, Ingvar ( Hilmir Snær Guðnason ). They’re sheep farmers living in a remote Icelandic valley, with an ease to their taciturn quotidian rhythms and symbiosis with the sheep. Ingvar fries up a chop before he and Maria ease a slick newborn lamb into the world, their small circle of life constantly churning under the simple labors and pleasures of daily life. There is, of course, an incoming spoke in the wheel.

The film’s Big Reveal has already appeared in the trailer, and so it seems within bounds to describe its precise nature, though indubitably it would be much more incredible and shocking to watch this film without any idea of what’s coming. If you haven’t seen the trailer, stop reading now.

A lamb is born, though that’s not what’s remarkable. Unlike the other lambs, Maria and Ingvar bring this particular one inside, bottle-feed it, swath it in warm blankets, keep it in a crib that Ingvar pulls out from storage in their barn. They care for this little lamb as if it’s their own baby, much to the protestation of the ewe that birthed her, bleating plaintively outside their bedroom window. A maternal standoff ensues; it doesn’t end well for the ewe.

Finally, we get a peek at what’s under the the blanket. The lamb Ingvar and Maria have named Ada has a white furry lamb’s head with big expressive eyes, but the body of a human child. They raise and clothe and love Ada as their own, and she fills a profound void in their lives. When Ingvar’s deadbeat, washed-up rock star brother Petúr ( Björn Hlynur Haraldsson ) turns up on their doorstep, he’s astonished, bewildered and frankly disgusted. But he too becomes tender toward the little girl.

Fans of genre cinema, including Rapace’s roles as an action heroine, or the brand of arthouse horror for which the film’s distributor, A24, is known, may be expecting something a bit more intense from “Lamb,” which is mostly a quiet family drama. It’s a different register for Rapace, who remains controlled, with a few explosions of emotion. But she is present and instinctual, imbuing Maria with a steely but soft power: decisive, persuasive and feminine.

A sense of foreboding hangs over the proceedings, the score grinding with an industrial intonation, humming over the misty mountains and their snowy secrets. But fundamentally, “Lamb” is a folk tale, bookended with elements of horror, typical of darker fables; legends abound in the film, whether on a TV or in “The Story of Dimmalimm,” about a princess who falls in love with a swan who turns into a prince.

The film is broken into three chapters, and by the time it comes to its end there’s the startling realization that there is potentially much more to come, something even more bloody and terrifying — but those are tales better left for another day.

Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes Rated: R, for some bloody violent images and sexuality/nudity. Playing: Starts Oct. 8 in general release

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There is something undeniably eerie about Lamb . Set on an isolated family sheep farm, the folklore-inspired story follows a couple adopting an unlikely, and uncanny, child. Folk horror is in the midst of a resurgence, and no other distribution company does the genre like A24: following in the footsteps of critical hits like 2015's The Witch and 2019's Midsommar , the 2021 supernatural horror Lamb sets up a peaceful — if unconventional — premise, only to subvert the idyllic setting with a deeply unsettling twist. Lamb is a slow-burn suspenseful horror that eschews the genre's typical gore and jump scares, and instead frightens audiences with a nuanced portrait of grief, punctuated by the unshakable feeling that something is terribly wrong.

Lamb is directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson and is co-written by Jóhannsson and Sjón, the Icelandic poet, novelist and lyricist. The movie is intimate, focusing on just three (human) characters: Maria (Noomi Rapace), her husband Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason), and her brother-in-law Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson). The couple live and work on a secluded sheep farm, and the movie paints an honest picture of what that entails. There's nothing glamorous about this lifestyle: the tractor needs upkeep, the house decor hints at a modest income, and the day-to-day life requires actions that, to an outside perspective, may seem unnecessarily cruel.

Related: Every Movie Coming To Theaters In October 2021

Lamb approaches its subject earnestly, opting for realism over special effects. The rural setting looks like a working farm, but the isolation is amplified by shots of vacant hills, grey skies and the almost ever-present fog. By relying on the setting's suffocating atmosphere to create a feeling of oppression, Jóhannsson subtly fosters discomfort among viewers, which in turn colors many of the otherwise innocent sights in the film. The off-putting mood is contrasted by a somber note that reverberates just under the surface in Lamb , which hints (and then later confirms) that Maria and Ingvar are grieving some unspoken familial tragedy. Even as the audience feels that the two may be guilty of some unnatural sin, they remain sympathetic and compelling characters. This is essential to maintaining the movie's tension.

The tragic backstory in Lamb is necessary for understanding the characters' motivation, and helps build up to the movie's first major twist. Everything in the first act should be completely believable (verging on banal) but feels slightly off, which serves to make the action all the more disturbing. Logically, there's nothing wrong with Maria and Ingvar taking in the freshly born lamb, Ada; in fact, everything they do, at least initially, is completely normal in certain circumstances. However, there are clues that something's wrong: the fact that the lamb isn't immediately shown, Maria's hostility to the mother ewe, and the couple's overreaction to Ada's disappearance (not to mention the fact that they don't look for her in the barn). After Ada joins the family, Maria and Ingvar's behavior shifts, and a large portion of the film's early suspense derives from not quite understanding what's going through their minds, but suspecting that some sinister force might be to blame.

There's a dreamy quality in Lamb that makes the film feel both bittersweet and nightmarish. Jóhannsson has a knack for lingering on shots just long enough to impart notes of discomfort, and a skill for subverting traditionally idyllic imagery. The character Ada is the best example, as Jóhannsson renders the sweet creature as menacing simply by virtue of seeming so unnatural. As the trailers and marketing material reveal, Ada is no ordinary lamb, and she becomes a surrogate daughter to appease Maria and Ingvar's grief. When Pétur arrives to inject a third-party view, the unusual situation is exposed for how creepy — and sad — it really is. The new dynamic with the brother-in-law is interesting and adds a much-needed new layer of interpersonal tension. Pétur represents another threat to Maria's newfound maternal role, which sets up another conflict that will inevitably come to a head.

Unfortunately, Lamb struggles to maintain the momentum after Pétur's initial reaction to Ada, and the last half of the film lacks the excitement of the first. Although the stakes are more explicit, the narrative loses focus as the movie goes on, and the final resolution is far from satisfying. Ada gets to be more of a character in the second half, and the exploration of her own identity is welcome; yet, the direction is not quite convincing, and it's unclear how the audience should feel about the events as they transpire. In concept, Lamb feels like a tribute to old folk tales, and there's an element to that in the abrupt (and admittedly shocking) ending. This film may feel too niche and reserved for hardcore horror fans, but still too disturbing and unsettling for the average viewer. Regardless, Lamb is another A24 folk horror that many won't forget any time soon.

Next: V/H/S/94 Review: Gritty Found-Footage Horror Flick Is Fractured & Uneve n

Lamb will be released in theaters in North America on October 8, 2021. It is 106 minutes long and is rated R for some bloody violent images and some nudity/sexuality.

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‘Lamb’ Review: Noomi Rapace Stars in A24 Horror with a Concept So Ridiculous It Shouldn’t Be Spoiled

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Where to begin with the batshit crazy premise of “ Lamb “? The best starting point is a line spoken by one of its characters about halfway through: “What the fuck is this?” From there, it’s worth noting that even the simplest description of the movie’s premise spoils the essence of its appeal, if not the complex and even artful way it unfolds.

Anyone sufficiently intrigued by an icy Icelandic drama about a pair of aspiring parents and sheep farmers who encounter a bizarre opportunity to fulfill their dreams might want to stop here. First-time writer-director Valdimar Jóhannsson has been schooled in the eloquent atmospheric horror of “The Witch” and “Hereditary” to such a precise degree that “Lamb” may as well exist as a spin-off. (Don’t put it past distributor A24 to have franchise ambitions in mind.) But “Lamb” takes a low-key minimalist approach to its premise that invites a certain shock-and-awe reaction before doubling back to give it purpose.

Though Jóhannsson’s debut sometimes has the kind of sketchbook quality of a newcomer not quite capable of building on a well-defined mood, “Lamb” is certainly audacious and eerie enough to establish a competent genre filmmaker with vision to spare. Any details beyond that and the movie’s entire appeal collapses under the outré nature of its central gimmick. Spoiler culture can sometimes get carried away about the need to obscure plot details from the public record, but “Lamb” truly does benefit from a cold viewing experience.

Still here? OK, here goes: “Lamb” is about a young couple, María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason), who adopt a child with the head of a lamb as their daughter. That’s right: One night, while helping their animals give birth, they discover one of them has delivered a child with the body of a human infant attached to a head that looks not unlike the furry, dead-eyed critters roaming around in the pen.

That’s the crux of it, though “Lamb” rewards viewers who prefer to play the waiting game. The camera doesn’t reveal a cutaway to the new creature when it arrives, yielding an eerie sense of ambiguity early on until the abrupt revelation that arrives some 40 minutes into the movie in an almost casual, off-handed fashion designed to throw its audience off their guard. It works, though it takes some time for the ludicrous reveal to settle in. Jóhannsson’s conviction to play it straight makes an ongoing case for the story even as it dares you not to crack up at its inherent absurdity.

Clearly, this disquieting slow-burn has been hinting at something ominous lurking in the green, empty mountains just beyond the farm, somewhere within the grey fog drifting through. Those suspicions prove true, with some first-rate creature effects revealed in the final act. Before they do, though, “Lamb” has established a rather grounded look at a relationship on the rocks, and the stabilizing effect of a new infant child that might give them a second chance.

Before you can say “Au Hasard Bah-lthazar,” the lamb in question, who’s named Ada by her adopted parents, doesn’t exactly act. Its bland gaze sits atop a tiny body divided physically between human and animal appendages, as it grows up over the course of several years. (The effect is achieved through a mostly convincing blend of CGI and puppets.) In that process, the movie actually delves into a subtle exploration of the way parents can project their own dreams and desires onto an innocent offspring at the mercy of the world around them.

Of course, the contrast between genuine depth and the silliness of the underlying concept is exactly what gives the movie such unique, if simplistic, appeal. When Ingvar’s hitchhiking brother Pétar surfaces out of nowhere in search of a place to crash, he drops right into the middle of the baffling scenario we’ve watched evolve across the first two acts. His shocked reaction is an even better sight gag than the freak of nature who looks back at him.

With only three (human) characters engaging in a tense power struggle in the fallout of Ada’s arrival, the tension starts to grow. Pétar, a hot mess and heavy drinker who once was a successful musician, goes from skeptical of his brother and sister-in-law’s new adoptee to developing a more dangerous mindset as the tension builds bit by bit. And while Pétar may look like the troublemaker of the group, María is the one who seems most committed to the role of parenting that literally dropped into her lap.

Jóhannsson co-wrote “Lamb” with Icelandic novelist Sjón (who also scripted Robert Eggers’ forthcoming “The Northman”), and the collaboration reflects the sparse nature of Sjón’s prose work. The dialogue is minimal and matter-of-fact; nobody ever takes a real stab at understanding Ada’s origins or why they matter beyond the initially positive impact that she has for her parents. That’s key to its oddball appeal, which grows more engrossing with time as it becomes clear that the director refuses to drop his grim, humorless approach at all costs. It’s a noble ambition, doomed from the start, but it’s engrossing to watch him try.

The actors fully commit to the strange task at hand. As the biggest name of the bunch, Rapace (who’s actually Swedish) delivers a compelling performance loaded with frantic uncertainty about her new parenthood, and steeped in a level of authenticity totally out of whack with the ridiculousness onscreen. The men in the movie are tasked with exhibiting masculine bravado as the family situation tips into a love-triangle complication that doesn’t really enrich the plot. Ada, of course, steals the show so well that when the movie arrives at an even bigger twist in its final moments, it underserves the substantial slow-build leading up to it.

Jóhannsson utilizes a complex soundscape that hints at an unseen threat overseeing the developing farmland circumstances, as some of the wild sheep gather atop the mountain and gaze down at the farm. On its own, these sequences amount to a disturbing collection of horror in small doses, but in the context of a melodrama that owes more to Bergman than Cronenberg, they also enhance the simmering tension between the married couple and their interloper below. No matter the shock value of the creature at its center, “Lamb” is ultimately about the rash decisions of people willing to do anything to preserve their dream of an idyllic life.

Additionally, “Lamb” hints at eco-horror themes as the tension between the small cast builds. Conflating their desire to live off the land with an effort to integrate it into their household, they’re stuck with a creature that represents those unnatural impulses fused together, and never stop to consider whether the child actually belonged to them in the first place.

Of course, like all good survival horror, the situation has spiraled out of control before anyone’s learned their lesson. Viewers who have stuck with the movie this far certainly have learned something, though: The premise of “Lamb” is hilarious in parts, but Jóhannsson isn’t kidding around. Even as his debut derives from recent “elevated horror” efforts, it funnels them into a concept that eventually works on its own terms; it’s both a complex metaphor as well as one helluva sight gag. If the starting point is, “What the fuck is this?,” the answer is obvious: It’s “Lamb.”

“Lamb” premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. A24 will release it in the United States at a later date.

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Lamb (2021) Review

10 Dec 2021

Lamb (2021)

“What the fuck is this?” someone utters halfway through Lamb . They’re not wrong. Valdimar Jóhannsson’s slow, absurdist quasi-creature flick is impossible to categorise, mashing up folk horror, Icelandic relationship drama and black comedy into something admirably different. The screenplay is co-written by Jóhannsson and Icelandic multi-hyphenate-but-singular-named Sjón, who has co-written Robert Eggers ’ upcoming Viking flick The Northman . Lamb shares a lot in common with Eggers’ work, especially The Witch : a well-built sense of dread, an eeriness borne out of environment and a dark feel for the relationships between humans and animals. It doesn’t all come together, but it is the kind of film that benefits hugely from knowing nothing about it before you go in. So, if you’d like to bail now, be our guest.

Jóhannsson sets the off-kilter mood from the get-go: a herd of horses emerge from a white mist and animals scarper at the sight of an unseen creature (Ingvar Lunderg and Björn Viktorsson’s sound design starts as it means to go on: consistently unnerving). The land belongs to Maria ( Noomi Rapace ) and her partner, Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), hard-working Icelandic farmers who are comfortable in silence, a state perhaps triggered by a tragedy in their past.

After a slow start, _Lamb_ develops into an engaging exploration of nature versus nurture ideas.

The film quietly follows the couple in their day-to-day routines of farm chores and minimal conversation — spending time with them is a bit of a patience-tester. Following the end of winter, Maria and Ingvar’s sheepdog (a brilliant performance by the late Panda, the Daniel Day-Lewis of canines) alerts them to a kerfuffle in the sheep-shed. The pair discover a human (body)-lamb (head) hybrid and, rather than run to the barren hills, decide to adopt the creature. They call her Ada.

After a slow start, Lamb develops into an engaging exploration of nature versus nurture ideas. Maria and Ingvar raise Ada, an impressive mixture of practical and CG VFX, as their own, the idyllic scene threatened by the arrival of Ingvar’s wayward brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, whose slow-blinking reaction to first seeing Ada is priceless).

Jóhannsson, whose grandparents were Icelandic sheep farmers, has a feel for the milieu and, along with cinematographer Eli Arenson, creates stark, beautiful images that find discomfort in tableaux rather than whip-pans and jump-cuts. In its final third, the film enters more obvious creepy territory and, even if it can’t come up with a completely satisfying conclusion, Rapace’s compelling performance as the new mother striving hard to build a happy life keeps the absurdity palatable and engaging.

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‘Lamb’ Review: An Unsettling Portrait of Family Life

Dir. valdimar jóhannsson — 3 stars.

Naomi Rapace stars as Maria in "Lamb" (2021), directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson.

“They’re saying time travel is possible now.”

So begins the first substantive exchange between husband and wife Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) and Maria (Noomi Rapace) in the A24 horror film “Lamb,” directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson. In a story that examines how we cope with loss, this conversation is a thought provoking and fitting way to start the film. The central characters are grieving, and though it goes unsaid, they undoubtedly wish they could go back to a time before their loss irrevocably changed their lives. “Lamb” follows the couple as they take in a human-lamb hybrid to raise as their own child. The narrative slowly unfolds into an unsettling, often bizarre exploration of grief and the fraught relationship between humans and nature. While compelling in its concept and technically impressive in its filmmaking, “Lamb” ultimately leaves viewers more baffled than contemplative due to a screenplay that leaves far too much terrain unexplored.

The film is divided into three chapters, the first of which shows Ingvar and Maria listlessly completing mundane tasks on their farm in the isolated Icelandic countryside. Heavy silence fills the air as static shots linger on them tagging sheep or doing household chores. An unspoken sadness is palpable, and though this exposition is lacking in excitement, it effectively conveys their stilted relationship with grace and subtlety.

Not long into the film, their quiet heartbreak gives way to unbridled joy when a sheep on their farm gives birth to a very unique lamb. Ingvar takes a crib out of storage and sets it up next to their bed; Maria tenderly cradles and feeds the baby, singing her lullabies. One might initially assume that the film is straying into the genre of psychological horror: perhaps Ingvar and Maria are projecting human characteristics onto a normal lamb because they want so badly to have a baby. But the anthropomorphic lamb — they name her Ada — is no figment of their imagination. She is revealed to be bipedal with arms, legs, and a lamb’s head; she can understand them, but can’t speak. The main tension of the film comes from the fact that Ada’s biological sheep mother wants to get her back from Ingvar and Maria.

“Lamb” is a bewildering and often jarring portrayal of an unconventional family; it’s quite the mental hurdle to take them seriously, and viewers might even be compelled to laugh at some of the couple’s interactions with their new daughter, whom they clothe and treat like a human. What makes her presence more uncomfortable than intriguing is the fact that the script fails to give us enough information on Ingvar, Maria, and Ada. The death they’re grieving is only fleetingly acknowledged, and we never learn anything more about their past. They communicate almost exclusively in cryptic sentences. When Ingvar’s brother Petur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) comes to stay with them and demands to know what’s going on, Ingvar simply replies with: “Happiness.” Throughout the film, Jóhannsson frequently centers the camera on the backs of his protagonists, their expressions obscured from viewers. Perhaps he is trying to communicate more by saying less, but ultimately this approach just makes it harder to sympathize with the couple.

While the story isn’t always easily believable, the film is consistently remarkable in its aesthetics. Carefully framed, intimate shots of the family at home are interspersed with sweeping wide shots of rural Iceland. Although the weather is perpetually bleak, the countryside is breathtaking: Snow capped mountains are situated in the distance, a picturesque stream bubbles loudly nearby, and a thick, omnipresent layer of mist enigmatically shrouds the entire area. The sinister beauty of the setting is perfect for a horror film, but despite its categorization as such, “Lamb” never truly instills fear in its audiences. Sure, it’s sometimes eerie with Jóhannssons’s use of painstakingly slow zoom-in shots, or the drone-like score that seems to indicate an unknown presence looming nearby. But the film is more of a supernatural family drama than anything else, set against the backdrop of the mundanities of everyday farm life.

For the most part, nothing too thrilling happens in “Lamb” after Ada is adopted. The arrival of Petur, the black sheep of the family (no pun intended), allows us to learn a bit more about Ingvar and Maria, but not enough to feel like we really understand them. However, the dynamics between these three family members feel authentic thanks to the natural rapport they have with each other. (A scene where they all dance to a VHS tape of an 80s-style music video that Petur made in his youth is especially memorable.) Moreover, Noomi Rapace stands out with her portrayal of Maria. She is often able to convey her character’s emotions without even speaking; a single glance or longing gaze is enough, always understated but still penetrating.

While the acting and cinematography are commendable, “Lamb” remains a mystifying film in its unexplained weirdness. Perhaps it intends to make social commentary on how humans feel entitled to exploit nature for their own personal gain. Maybe some people will leave the theater pondering their relationship with the natural world; no doubt others will leave thinking, “What did I just watch?” Still, in its bizarre and eerie originality, you can’t deny that it does, in fact, leave you thinking.

— Staff Writer Jaden S. Thompson can be reached at [email protected].

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‘Lamb’ is Beautiful, Devastating, and One of the Best Films of the Year

Lamb so envelopes you in its own grammar and disposition that viewers dare not question the way it simply takes over and leads them exactly where it wants to go. But there is no hand-holding in Lamb. No over-explanation, or unnecessary shots. At just over an hour and forty minutes in length, each moment feels deliberately crafted. If you go to the bathroom, or reach to pick up a bag of candy, you might miss something. The precision of Lamb makes it hard to believe it is director Valdimar Jóhannsson’s debut feature.

The film takes place in Jóhannsson’s home country of Iceland. Noomi Rapace ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Hilmir Snær Guðnason play a married pair of farmers, María and Ingvar, and the film opens opens with shots of the titular creatures. We watch the sheep interact, bleat, eat, and stare out into the winter night. From there, the film, co-written by Jóhannsson and Icelandic poet Sjón , sets off on a plot that is nothing less than absurd.

One day, María and Ingvar assist one of their sheep as she gives birth. After the lamb emerges from the womb, María and Ingvar, visibly stirred, take the newborn inside their home. The ambiguity builds suspense, and we begin to wonder. There are small moments that hint at what may have happened. At one point, Ingvar goes to the barn and brings in a crib so that the lamb may sleep at their bedside. Why does he have this crib? Did they once have a child?

Eventually, Jóhannsson slowly begins to reveal the lamb’s body. And then we learn the truth. While the child has the head of a lamb, her body, down to her feet, is half human, half lamb. María and Ingvar name the lamb Ada and raise her as if she were their own daughter. It is beautiful and heartbreaking. When put into words, the film’s premise sounds outlandish. But with Jóhannsson’s direction, Eli Arenson’s cinematography, and the performances of Rapace and Guðnason, it all seems so real. In that sense the film feels like anti-escapism, a work so brazenly committed to its fantastical elements that we just accept it as reality.

Enough praise cannot be heaped on Rapace and Guðnason. From the film’s outset, we see they are awash in grief. And once we know of their past and desire for a new beginning with a child, how could there not be? The film opens with them cutting grass, planting crops, and birthing new lambs; they are surrounded by cycles of life that perpetually remind them of their pain and loss. There is little dialogue in the film, especially in the early moments. And rightly so. Their embodied grief comes through in each gesture, look, and movement. And once Ada enters their life, we feel their newfound happiness and shared sense of relief and hope. But Lamb is no fairytale.

Despite the happiness of the film’s protagonists and the empathy we have for them, Jóhannsson makes clear that they are no saints. Their decision to bring Ada into their home was less an adoption and more an abduction, as most human/livestock interactions are. And what makes it even more cruel is that Ada’s biological, four-legged parents live just beside her new home powerless, in a barn. Jóhannsson masterfully — and at times brutally — probes the moral dimensions of this dynamic. The way María navigates the situation will leave viewers alternately shocked, saddened, and captivated. Rapace’s performance sits with you, and it’s one of those rare instances where no matter how a character reacts and responds to the onscreen events, your empathy endures.

The only other human character of note appears in the form of Ingvar’s brother, Pétur ( Björn Hlynur Haraldsson ). A deadbeat, ex-musician, Pétur makes unwanted advances towards María and is a general ass. And he, more understandably, does not know how to respond after meeting his new niece.

Pétur serves an important function in the film. In a sense, he is a stand in for we in the audience. Until the point of his arrival, María and Ingvar are living in a kind of dream state, where everything is normal and happy for the first time in years. But then Pétur attempts to pop the bubble by essential asking, “What the fuck is going on?” And it’s a fair question.

What infects and overcomes María and Ingvar is not a parasite, a disease, or a ghost. It is grief and desire, both of which, like the premise of Lamb, are not always rational. The longing to pass on life and love drives María and Ingvar to accept Ada as their own child and do unthinkable things. Their impulse feels deeply human, beautiful, and horrifying — sometimes all at once. But they are not the only ones who grieve.

Jóhannsson also shows the viewer the pain of non-human beings like Ada’s birth mother. And thus Lamb becomes a film about the love and struggles that define all sentient life, not just humanity. Lamb tells the human tale of the yearning to procreate but de-centers the human. In doing so, the film respects the human condition and struggle without rendering us totally blameless. After all, we are but one species on this planet. Lamb invites us to reflect on existing in a world in which we can simultaneous suffer and perpetuate suffering. That is what makes Lamb , absurdity and all, so magnificent and so real.

Review: Horror haunts the edges of darkly meditative Icelandic folk tale ‘Lamb’

Noomi Rapace brings a steady, feminine power to the dark tale about a couple raising a sheep as if it were their child

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In “Lamb,” Valdimar Jóhannsson’s directorial debut, the eyes have it.

It’s the eyes, both animal and human, that convey more than any speech, starting with a herd of chubby, wild-eyed ponies that scatter in a snowstorm upon recognition of an encroaching presence.

As Maria, Noomi Rapace ‘s eyes are constantly searching, both the dramatic landscape and the face of her husband, Ingvar ( Hilmir Snær Guðnason ). They’re sheep farmers living in a remote Icelandic valley, with an ease to their taciturn quotidian rhythms and symbiosis with the sheep. Ingvar fries up a chop before he and Maria ease a slick newborn lamb into the world, their small circle of life constantly churning under the simple labors and pleasures of daily life. There is, of course, an incoming spoke in the wheel.

Rated: R, for some bloody violent images and sexuality/nudity. When: Opens Friday Where: Wide release Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

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Lamb Movie Review: A Slow Burn That Is Worth Every Second

A24’s Lamb is very much a slow burn of a movie, and while it isn’t for everyone that third act is a bizarre and twisted masterpiece.

Whenever I sit down to watch an A24 movie I know that I am getting myself into something strange and unexpected — which is almost always a very good thing. Their latest movie, Lamb, took me completely by surprise. After watching I needed to take a few hours to process the film as a whole and while I still feel like I don’t know one hundred percent of what I watched, I do know that i really, really loved it.

Lamb tells a story surrounding a couple who own a sheep farm and one day discover an unnatural newborn in the barn. They are childless themselves, and decide to bring the lamb into the house to raise it away from the normal ones. Things get quite crazy when the sinister forces that created this lamb try to beckon it back to where it came from.

The best thing about Lamb is that 90% of the time viewers have no clue as to what is happening. With each and every reveal, more twists and turns are thrown right us. So much of the time watching is spent trying to figure out what is going on, and what is going to happen next. There are moments that will have you scratching your head and others that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor.

The suspense of it all really comes through thanks to the score, the color hue that falls over the whole film, and the direction and pacing. While it is a slow burn that is absolutely the point of this movie. Everything will be revealed in time so you might as well just sit back and take it all in as you gone on this weird, bizarre, and twisted ride.

Lamb is split into three chapters and each one is better than the last. The first does a great job of setting the scene and the story, the second introduces more and more questions, and the third is off the wall craziness that no one will see coming.

This movie is all about the efforts this couple is willing to put in to be happy. They are committed to the themselves and this life with Ada, their lamb. Nothing is going to take this away from them. Lamb feels like it is shining a light on parents who become obsessed with their children, which makes it more creepy because it all too real a situation. Being a parent myself I have always wondered about nature versus nurture, and Lamb tackles that in a very intriguing and captivating way.

The thing that you have to know going into Lamb is that it is a very slow burn. The first chapter will feel much longer than it is, but once it gets going, you will be hooked. The story is strange and because of that it can take a while to get into, and it could turn some people off.

I cannot stress this enough — this is not a movie for everyone. A24 is sometimes an acquired taste and Lamb, while a fantastic film, is a hard one to swallow. This is a foreign, subtitled, film as well, so keep that in mind. However, there is not a whole lot of dialogue here. The actions of the characters and the visuals tell the story, which is part of the reason it works so well. All of the actors are great, but Noomi Rapace really steals every scene that she is in.

Overall Thoughts On Lamb

I went into Lamb thinking it was going to be a strange horror film, but that is not what it is at all. It has a deeper meaning and is more of a thriller, if anything. There is a lot to take in here and if you allow yourself to jump all in, you will be very pleasantly surprised. The ending will leave just about everyone shook, and needing time to process the film as a whole.

Lamb is not for everyone. But those who allow themselves to be taken by it, will find themselves thinking about it for days.

In rural Iceland, a childless couple discover a strange and unnatural newborn in their sheep barn. They decide to raise her as their own, but sinister forces are determined to return the creature to the wilderness that birthed her.

Lamb comes to theaters October 8th.

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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.

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Mad Max Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

The original Mad Max , perennially set just a few years from right now, starred Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, an Australian officer patrolling a society in rapid decline from pollution and dwindling natural resources. Director George Miller keeps the exact details behind the dystopia in the margins, using the encroaching apocalypse as backdrop for high-flying action stunts and vehicular mayhem. Mad Max first released in 1979, deeply embedded in the Ozploitation era, when the country was pumping out grindhouse-allied movies like Wake in Fright , BMX Bandits , Dead End Drive-In , and The Cars That Ate Paris .

Miller and Gibson re-teamed for two sequels: 1981’s Mad Max 2 aka The Road Warrior , and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985. Civilization has completely collapsed by the start of the first sequel, with Max turned taciturn survivalist as he prowls through barbaric communities that have sprouted across the wastelands. The leather scavenger chic of the sequels has influenced the look of just about ever desert post-apocalypse setting ever since. Though Miller considers the movies standalone stories, essentially as myths of a wanderer told over oil barrel camp fires, they easily form a trilogy with continuity across Max’s clothing, car, and obviously the actor portraying him.

While Beyond Thunderdome has its detractors for the relative sidelining of Max in favor a bunch of moppets and Tina Turner, it also had to follow up on Road Warrior , considered among the best action films ever made.

2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road was in development for decades, which gave Miller and his collaborators ample time to forge lore, worldbuilding, and deep backstories for Max, warlord Immortan Joe, his rogue lieutenant Furiosa, and War Boy underling Nux. Tom Hardy takes on the Max mantle, with Charlize Theron as Furiosa. Immortan Joe is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who was also the villain Toecutter in the first movie.

To avoid contradictions while reinforcing the conceptual mythmaking of Max’s world, Fury Road is part of a separate timeline. The events of the original trilogy have still occurred, but details are changed wherever the new story dictates it. Miller was involved with a 2015 four-issue comic book series that reveals Immortan Joe’s rise to power, Nux’s upbringing, Furiosa’s motives for rebelling, and how Max got his Interceptor car back between Thunderdome and Fury Road . (The open-world Mad Max video game is its own continuity.)

The protracted development of Fury Road was a cakewalk compared to the actual filming, which included flooded sets, long sun-scorched days in Namibia, and feuding lead actors. (The nightmarish shoot is all documented in the book Blood, Sweat & Chrome by Kyle Buchanan.) The result: A groundbreaking assault on the senses and pure action cinema with six Oscar wins, plus nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , mastermind Miller is pulling on the the straightest, strongest thread between films, as the 2024 film is explicitly set 15 years before Fury Road , with Anya Taylor-Joy sliding in.

Now, we’re ranking all the Mad Max movies by Tomatometer!

Mad Max (1979) 90%

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) 94%

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) 79%

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) 97%

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) 90%

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New horror movie debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating at Cannes

The Substance stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

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A body horror starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, The Substance toys with the ever-fascinating and eerie exploration of cloning and society's obsession with chasing youth and beauty at all costs.

Written and directed by Fargeat, whose 2017 rape revenge movie Revenge shocked audiences, The Substance currently sits at a coveted 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, though the critic score may change as more reviews come in.

Related: New look at Ben Whishaw's biopic as it confirms Cannes premiere

Following its Cannes debut, the movie has been acquired by Mubi, with distribution details to be announced in due course. In the meantime, let's have a look at what critics at Cannes made of the film.

Screen International

"Unlike other films that claim to be body-horror, Fargeat delivers in spectacular and revolting fashion, not just conjuring memories of David Cronenberg but also Brian De Palma."

Next Best Picture

" The Substance has re-confirmed Fargeat's technical brilliance and proved to us there are no limits to how far she will go to tell us what's pissing her off and why we should be equally as enraged.

Related: 56 best horror movies that are actually good and terrifying

"[Coralie Fargeat] draws on much of the hyperbolic flamboyance that's come to define megaplex horror. But unlike 90 percent of those movies, The Substance is the work of a filmmaker with a vision. She's got something primal to say to us."

Deadline Hollywood Daily

"The perfect breakout genre movie of the year."

"Fargeat's movie escalates with the kind of ultra-confident audacity that leaves you laughing out loud at sights that would otherwise make you shriek instead."

Related: Russell Crowe's horror hit is officially getting a sequel

Smash Cut Reviews

"All the mismatching debauched pieces of The Substance come together to form a Frankenstein's monster of a diabolically delightful B-movie that brings laughs, thrills and blood... lots and lots of blood."

"It's a classic 'be careful what you wish for' film. You may find stardom, but nothing lasts forever."

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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy .

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'What You Wish For' Review: Imagine 'The Bear' Was a Destination Horror Movie

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The Big Picture

What You Wish For lacks the bite to become a social thriller it gestures towards.
Nick Stahl's intense performance can't save the film from a scattered finale and lack of focus.
The movie's disappointing ending fails to give weight to its themes, leaving viewers wanting more.

If What You Wish For was a meal, it’d be one that you’d find occasionally filling in courses though ultimately forgettable. It’s a film without the kick to truly become the social thriller it's constantly emptily gesturing towards . While it makes an admirable attempt to put a horror twist on the portrait of what it means to a working-class chef à la The Bear , it is too narrow an experience to ever have any bite or revealing observations. Even as someone who was not impressed with 2022’s half-baked The Menu , which this is almost playing as an inverse of, I’d take the final burger that film serves up over this meandering meal any time. Though it assembles some of the right ingredients before laying them out before you, it never proceeds to arrange them in any particularly interesting or entertaining way.

This isn’t to say there aren’t some morsels worth biting into and committed performances to build around. Though not always the most in-demand actor out there, Nick Stahl has been great in other recent genre works, like 2021’s unsettling What Josiah Saw and the regrettably canceled recent series Let the Right One In . He brings a quiet intensity that can be a little hard to fully pin down, making the troubled characters he often plays more magnetic than they are on the page. Unfortunately, in this case, even he feels stranded by a script that can’t quite settle on what it wants to be before haphazardly building to a more scattered finale. It ensures that, while What You Wish For attempts to tackle how the wealthy of the world consume the poorest, it only ends up eating itself and any potential it may have had .

What You Wish For (2023)

Ryan, a struggling chef with a heavy gambling problem, seeks refuge in a luxurious Latin American villa owned by his friend Jack. Envying Jack's extravagant lifestyle, Ryan is unaware of the sinister secrets behind his friend's wealth. When Jack exits the picture, Ryan takes on his identity, only to uncover the perilous and illegal activities Jack engaged in to sustain his opulence.

What is 'What You Wish For' About?

The one preparing what is to be consumed is Ryan (Stahl) who is going to visit his friend and fellow chef Jack ( Brian Groh ) after what has been some time apart. When he arrives in the nondescript Latin American country, he is surprised to discover an almost absurdly beautiful home where the wealth oozing out of every corner of the compound contrasts with the poverty of the community surrounding it. This already seems to be weighing on Jack, but there is a sense that there is also something more going on as well. On top of that, we discover in pieces that Ryan has had a gambling problem and is now getting threatening texts trying to get him to cough up some cash. At one point, he even takes a peek on the computer at the massive amount of money in Jack’s bank account. How did he make all that money? Well, Ryan soon learns it’s doing more than just preparing ordinary meals that he will then have to take on himself when Jack is suddenly out of the picture. He’ll take on his identity, much like the far better recent film Influencer , but also all the baggage that comes with it .

There is a twist of sorts that comes, which won’t be spoiled here, but if you’ve ever seen a movie in your life, you will know what is coming. There are some darkly comedic moments where Ryan breaks into all of Jack’s accounts (giving the worst answers possible to every single question he is asked) and then must talk with the clients who have arrived for the big dinner he must prepare. The remainder of the movie lacks this sense of humor as it instead settles into being far more standard stuff that, save for one sinister self-serving monologue about how this company is not that bad compared to others, never raises the pulse.

Even when a police officer shows up at the dinner to investigate what is going on, the lengths to which the film goes to keep him around dissipates any lasting tension, as you can practically see the strings being pulled. The diners themselves are mostly cardboard cutouts, with only one feeling close to an actual character, which is just so he can provide a narrative reason for the cop to stay. It seems like What You Wish For wants to be some sort of confined thriller where it’s just about waiting for the shoe to drop on what we already know is going on, but it is largely tepid in this buildup before landing with a thud. The dialogue is often rather forced, with one moment where a character makes sure we see exactly where their phone is charging getting dropped in so unnaturally that it is almost comical.

'What You Wish For' Will Leave You Wishing for a Better Movie

This and many moments where the effects while driving look incomplete make it increasingly hard to get immersed in the film. However, all of this could be forgivable if the film got us invested in what is going on with Ryan pretending to be Jack and what he represents in the story. Unfortunately, he often fades into the background of his own film until he gets brought out for a closing that ends less with a bang and more with a whimper .

Just when it finally feels like the film is getting somewhere after throwing in empty escalation after empty escalation just to keep afloat, it abruptly downshifts to a more dull yet equally forced final scene. What it seems to be trying to hit on is that, when it all comes down to it, Ryan was ultimately willing to accept his lot in life even if it meant being complicit in cruelty to others. Sure, he made some extra cash in doing so, but the cost of selling your soul as well as those of others is the type of thing you’ll never be able to pay back. That this sounds like it could be a potent ending on paper only makes it all the more disappointing in execution .

There just wasn’t the heft given to any of these ideas leading up to the end and there certainly isn’t salvation to be found in the final series of scenes. No matter what it tries to serve up to you across a high number of courses, What You Wish For just leaves you wanting for the real meal to start rather than one that only pays lip service to its deeper ideas .

Despite Nick Stahl trying his darnedest, What You Wish For is a meal that is lacking in sustenance.

Nick Stahl is a strong performer that remains compelling even when the material on the page is not.
The film only gestures towards deeper ideas and never fully takes a bite out of them.
All of the tension quickly dissipates as everything is too confined to leave much of an impact.
The ending again tries to be more potent, but just ends up being a conclusion without any salvation to be found.

What You Wish For is now available to stream on VOD and is showing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes near you.

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Movie Reviews

The 38 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now (May 2024)

How many hours have we all lost to the endless streaming scroll? Aiming for a little kickback, you end up perusing all the good movies on Prime Video, intent on finding just the right one, ultimately unsure what to choose in the face of overwhelming options. Fret not: The Collider staff did all that scrolling for you, scanning through the catalog in search of the best picks for an entertaining night in. We've put together a wide-ranging list of the best movies on Prime Video right now.

What's more, we'll be updating the list regularly with additional picks, so you won't run out of viewing material any time soon. The list spans genres, decades, and ratings, so there should be a little something for everyone, but if you can't find what you're looking for below (and you're a multi-platform streamer), be sure to check out our picks for the best TV shows and best movies on Netflix .

Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Prime Video.

Editor's note: This article was updated May 2024 to include Fast X.

'Fast X' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 56% | imdb: 5.8/10.

Release Date May 19, 2023

Director Louis Leterrier

Cast Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Vin Diesel, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster

Runtime 141 minutes

Genres Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Racing

The remarkable 10th installment in one of the 21st century’s biggest franchises, Fast X follows the family-loving Dom Toretto ( Vin Diesel ), who will do anything to protect his family, going to eye-catching lengths to protect them, all whilst actually using the word “family” 56 times. Hitting every box on the checklist of Fast and Furious movies, Fast X is a wild ride from start to finish, punctuated by eye-popping action sequences and enough explosions to win a war. Featuring a who’s who of modern-day action heroes, from Jason Statham to Jason Momoa (as well as other people not called Jason), Fast X is the perfect popcorn action flick for anyone with even a slight taste for the franchise. - Jake Hodges

Watch on Prime Video

'American Fiction' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 93% | imdb: 7.5/10, american fiction.

Release Date December 22, 2023

Director Cord Jefferson

Cast Keith David, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross, Adam Brody, John Ortiz, Jeffrey Wright, Erika Alexander

Runtime 117 minutes

Genres Drama, Comedy

Based on Percival Everett ’s 2001 novel Erasure , American Fiction is a comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature directorial debut. The movie stars Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist whose attempt at satirizing stereotypical "Black" books is mistaken for serious literature. The movie boasts a talented ensemble cast, featuring Tracee Ellis Ross , Issa Rae , Sterling K. Brown , John Ortiz , Erika Alexander , Leslie Uggams , Adam Brody , and Keith David . American Fiction premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received critical praise and won the People's Choice Award. The movie has received several awards and nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s a smart, witty piece of storytelling that’s been named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute. Jeffrey Wright delivers a delightful and committed performance as he navigates the many turns of this insightful yet absurdly humorous journey. For fans of sharp, clear-eyed satire, American Fiction is a movie with a lot to say and a great way of saying it.

'The Holdovers' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 97% imdb: 7.9/10, the holdovers.

Release Date November 10, 2023

Director Alexander Payne

Cast Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston

Runtime 133 minutes

The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film set primarily in a New England boarding school in the 1970s. The movie was directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson . Paul Giamatti stars as curmudgeonly classics teacher Paul Hunnam, who is forced to spend the holidays chaperoning a handful of students with nowhere to go. His stuffy world opens up as he forms a bond with the recently bereaved school cafeteria manager, Mary Lamb ( Da’Vine Joy Randolph ), and a bright but troubled student, Angus Tully ( Dominic Sessa ). The Holdovers premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival and received near-universal acclaim. Named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, the movie has won several accolades, including the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s heartbreaking performance. Full of beautiful, emotional performances, the film almost feels like the inverse of Dead Poets Society , with a student helping a teacher learn to find his place in the world. Though a Christmas movie in setting, The Holdovers is a film that’s sure to become a perennial favorite.

'The Idea of You' (2024)

Rotten tomatoes: 83% | imdb: 6.5/10, the idea of you (2024).

Release Date May 2, 2024

Director Michael Showalter

Cast Mathilda Gianopoulos, Jordan Aaron Hall, Anne Hathaway Nicholas Galitzine, Perry Mattfeld, Ella Rubin, Reid Scott, Annie Mumolo

Runtime 115 Minutes

Genres Drama

Based on Robinne Lee ’s 2017 novel of the same name, The Idea of You is a rom-com starring Anne Hathaway as a single mom who finds an unexpected romance with the lead singer of a boy band, played by Nicholas Galitzine . The film was directed by Michael Showalter , who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Westfeldt . The Idea of You premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where it received largely positive reviews from critics. The movie has been hailed as a return to the classic romantic comedy mold, with compelling performances from its leads and a solid story. Anne Hathaway is, predictably, the highlight of the film, delivering a delightful performance and sharing great on-screen chemistry with Galitzine. Overall, The Idea of You is a funny, feel-good film that packs plenty of laughs and emotion but still finds the space to say some important things about love, life, and self-discovery.

'12 Angry Men' (1957)

Rotten tomatoes: 93% | imdb: 9.0/10, 12 angry men.

Release Date April 10, 1957

Director Sidney Lumet

Cast E.G. Marshall, Lee J. Cobb, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam

Runtime 96 minutes

A classic legal drama directed by Sidney Lumet , 12 Angry Men follows the deliberations of a jury of 12 men as they try to decide whether to convict a teenager for murder. The film stars Henry Fonda as the lone juror who questions the evidence and uses his rational pursuit of justice to bring out the conflicting moral values of each juror. The film is an adaptation of the 1954 teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose , who produced the feature with Fonda and wrote the screenplay. 12 Angry Men was no box office success at the time of its release, but it did receive great praise from critics and Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. As the years have passed, appreciation of the film has continued to go up, and it’s now considered one of the most significant American films ever made. Lumet expertly uses the film’s closed room setting to transform a seemingly open-and-shut case into a deep exploration of individual conceptions of justice. In the process, we also get some brilliant performances and an intriguing mystery.

'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' (2018)

Rotten tomatoes: 76% | imdb: 6.6/10, the miseducation of cameron post.

Run Time 1 hr 30 min

Director Desiree Akhavan

Release Date August 3, 2018

Actors Chlo Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Marin Ireland

Based on the 2012 novel by Emily M. Danforth , The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a coming-of-age drama set in the 90s that stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a teenager sent to a gay conversion therapy center. The movie was directed by Desiree Akhavan , who also co-wrote the screenplay with Cecilia Frugiuele . The film also stars John Gallagher Jr. , Sasha Lane , Forrest Goodluck , Marin Ireland , and more. The Miseducation of Cameron Post premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival to largely positive reviews. Critics have praised the humor, intelligence, and compassion that the movie brings to its timely and all-too-real subject. Moretz delivers a brilliant performance in the lead role, and Akhavan’s direction of the film is flawless. Perhaps the greatest triumph of The Miseducation of Cameron Post is the way the movie truthfully explores painful, tragic realities of life while still finding the joy in human connections that get you through the hurt.

'Titanic' (1997)

Rotten tomatoes: 88% | imdb: 7.9/10.

Release Date November 19, 1997

Director James Cameron

Cast Kathy Bates, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gloria Stuart, Frances Fisher, Billy Zane

Runtime 194 minutes

Genres Drama, Romance, Epic

James Cameron ’s Titanic is part disaster film and part romantic drama. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet , the film follows a young aristocratic girl who falls in love with a talented artist aboard the doomed ship. A secondary plot follows a treasure hunter searching for a valuable necklace that was lost when the ship sank. Titanic isn’t the best work of anyone involved, and yet it’s probably the biggest milestone in all their careers. The film was massively popular when it was first released and still captivates audiences today. It’s a classic romantic melodrama that features spectacular visuals, career-making performances, and unmatched directorial skill. People still debate aspects of the film (especially that scene ) — a fact that demonstrates the movie’s tremendous staying power. Titanic is massive, stunning, and almost entirely fictional. In other words, it’s Hollywood at its best.

'The Stepford Wives' (2004)

Rotten tomatoes: 26% | imdb: 5.3/10, the stepford wives (2004).

Release Date June 11, 2004

Director Frank Oz

Cast Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Glenn Close, Nicole Kidman, Roger Bart, Bette Midler, Faith Hill

Runtime 93 Minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Comedy, Horror

Based on Ira Levin ’s book of the same name, The Stepford Wives is a black comedy film written by Paul Rudnick and directed by Frank Oz , starring Nicole Kidman , Matthew Broderick , and Glenn Close . Kidman plays Joanna Eberhart, a high-powered TV executive who suffers a nervous breakdown and moves with her family from Manhattan to Stepford, Connecticut, where she soon realizes there’s something wrong with all the women. The film is a remake of a 1975 movie of the same name, and it’s been unfavorably compared to the earlier version. However, while the 1975 Stepford Wives was a horror film, the 2004 version is an out-and-out comedy. If you take the movie on its own terms, it’s actually a very fun, quirky film about evolving gender roles that pokes fun at the very material it’s adapting. Plus, the costumes, acting, and production more than make up for whatever it lacks in terms of the plot.

'Top Gun' (1986)

Rotten tomatoes: 57% | imdb: 6.9/10.

Release Date May 16, 1986

Director Tony Scott

Cast Michael Ironside, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards

Runtime 110

Genres Drama, Romance, Action, War

Directed by Tony Scott and written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr , Top Gun stars Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator who gets a chance to attend the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, Top Gun. The movie also stars Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , and Tom Skerritt . Top Gun received rather mixed reviews when it first premiered in 1986, but its visual effects and music were considered top-notch even then. In 2022, the film got a legacy sequel, Top Gun: Maverick , that has eclipsed the original to some extent. Nevertheless, the original Top Gun is a high-octane rollercoaster that continues to entertain audiences nearly 40 years after its release. A quintessential 1980s movie, Top Gun has inspired generations of movies, shows, and video games, and, perhaps most importantly, it’s the film that made Tom Cruise the household name he is today.

'Frida' (2024)

Rotten tomatoes: 90% | imdb: 7.4/10, frida (2024).

Release Date March 14, 2024

Director Carla Gutierrez

Cast Frida Kahlo

Runtime 87 minutes

Genres Documentary

Directed by Carla Gutierrez in her directorial debut, Frida is a documentary film following the life of legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo . Based on Kahlo’s own writings, interviews, and correspondence, Frida blends archival material with animation to present a unique look at the artist’s legacy. The film explores key moments in Kahlo’s life, including her relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera , her affair with Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky , and her time in the US.

Frida premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim and won the US Documentary Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award. An ambitious attempt at telling Kahlo’s story in her own words, the film also uses animation to bring some of her most iconic works to life. Frida premiered on Prime Video on March 14, 2024.

'Road House' (2024)

Rotten tomatoes: 68% | imdb: 6.3/10, road house (2024).

Release Date March 21, 2024

Director Doug Liman

Cast Darren Barnet, Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Daniela Melchior, Arturo Castro, Jessica Williams, Beau Knapp, Billy Magnussen, Joaquim De Almeida, JD Pardo

Genres Thriller, Action

Read Our Review A modern reimagining of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film, Road House is an action drama movie that stars Jake Gyllenhaal , Daniela Melchior , and Conor McGregor in his feature film debut. Directed by Doug Liman , the film follows a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys, only to discover dark secrets. The movie’s screenplay is by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry , and it’s produced by Joel Silver , who also produced the original.

Road House had its world premiere on March 8th, 2024, at the SXSW Festival. With largely positive reviews, the film is a well-executed update of the cult classic it’s based on. This isn’t the sort of movie you watch for the intricate plotting, but if adrenaline is what you’re looking for, then this is the film for you.

'The Edge of Seventeen' (2016)

Rotten tomatoes: 94% | imdb: 7.3/10, the edge of seventeen.

Release Date September 16, 2016

Director Kelly Fremon Craig

Cast Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson

Runtime 104

Main Genre Comedy

Kelly Fremon Craig 's directorial debut (a film which she also wrote), The Edge of Seventeen , is a coming-of-age story that stars Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson , with Kyra Sedgwick , Blake Jenner , and Haley Lu Richardson excellent in their supporting roles. Edge of Seventeen is a raw exploration of a cringe-filled experience as Nadine (Steinfeld) navigates high school with a seemingly perfect older brother (Jenner), an image-obsessed mother (Sedgwick), and her best friend (Richardson).

The quippy interactions between Nadine and her teacher (Harrelson) are the true highlight of The Edge of Seventeen , as their reluctant mentor-mentee relationship feels authentic through the witty dialogue and earnest performances. Steinfeld and Harrelson are the best part of this movie, introducing humor in taxing situations and when confronting heartbreaking realities such as grief and loss. - Yael Tygiel

'Bottoms' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 90% | imdb: 6.8/10.

Release Date August 25, 2023

Director Emma Seligman

Cast Rachel Sennott, Nicholas Galitzine, Ayo Edebiri, Dagmara Dominczyk

Runtime 92 minutes

Genres Comedy

Read Our Review

Bottoms is a 2023 teen comedy starring Ayo Edebiri ( The Bear ) , Ruby Cruz ( Mare of Easttown ) , Rachel Sennott ( Shiva Baby ), Havana Rose Liu , and Kaia Gerber ( Babylon ). It tells the story of two unpopular students in high school who start a fight club in order to try and find other students to sleep with before graduation. The girls get more and more embroiled in their schemes as time goes on, facing challenges in their own friendship as well. Bottoms features a fun appearance by former NFL football star Marshawn Lynch , who has been expanding his acting resume in recent years.

The film was popular with audiences when it premiered, with critics liking its satirical nature and the way in which it flipped teen tropes on their heads. It was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Screenplay, as well as a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film. - Emily Cappello

'Belfast' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 86% | imdb: 7.2/10.

Release Date September 2, 2021

Director Kenneth Branagh

Cast Caitrona Balfe, Jude Hill, Ciarn Hinds, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Colin Morgan

Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh ( Murder on the Orient Express ), Belfast is a coming-of-age story about a boy’s childhood experiences in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The film takes place in 1969 at the beginning of The Troubles, which was an ethnonationalism conflict fueled by religious discrimination between Protestants and Catholics. While the film’s focus is mainly on nine-year-old Buddy ( Jude Hill ), it also includes his family life with Me ( Caitríona Balfe ), Pa ( Jamie Dornan ), and his older brother, Will ( Lewis McAskie ).

The film was widely praised by audiences and critics alike, winning Branaugh an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 2022 Academy Awards, in addition to its six other nominations, including Best Picture. At the Golden Globes, Belfast won Best Screenplay in addition to its six other nominations. - Emily Cappello

'Women Talking' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 90% | imdb: 6.9/10, women talking.

Release Date December 23, 2022

Director Sarah Polley

Cast Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand, Claire Foy

Runtime 104 minutes

Read Our Review Based on the book by Miriam Toews , Women Talking is a film that tackles a brutal topic: women living in an isolated religious community as they debate whether or not they can escape the abuse they’re experiencing. Directed and written for the screen by Sarah Polley , the film is an intense ride with many difficult scenes and visuals. It’s best to watch the film if you know you’re in the right headspace and won’t be personally affected by any of the material.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received a Best Picture nomination. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Original Score by Hildur Guonadóttir and Best Screenplay for Polley. The film stars Rooney Mara ( The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ), Judith Ivey ( The Devil’s Advocate ), Claire Foy ( First Man ), Frances McDormand ( Fargo ), and Sheila McCarthy ( The Day After Tomorrow ). - Emily Cappello

'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)

Rotten tomatoes: 86% | imdb: 6.5/10, the blair witch project.

Release Date July 30, 1999

Director Eduardo Snchez, Daniel Myrick

Cast Michael C. Williams, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard

Runtime 81 minutes

Genres Supernatural, Mystery, Psychological, Horror

Considered one of the first found footage horror films, The Blair Witch Project was co-created by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez , who wrote, directed, and edited the film. Starring Heather Donahue , Michael C. Williams , and Joshua Leonard as a trio of film students investigating a mythical witch, The Blair Witch Project succeeded by building not only a fictional documentary but also a brilliant marketing campaign centering on the missing, fictional film students.

Cleverly allowing audiences to freak themselves out rather than rely on scary movie cliches, The Blair Witch Project was groundbreaking and praised for reinvigorating the genre with new elements in the filmmaking game. - Yael Tygiel

'Saltburn' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 71% | imdb: 7.1.

Release Date November 17, 2023

Director Emerald Fennell

Cast Carey Mulligan, Archie Madekwe, Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike

Runtime 127 minutes

Genres Drama, Comedy, Thriller

Written, directed, and co-produced by Promising Young Woman ’s Emerald Fennell , Saltburn reunites her with Carey Mulligan , who appears alongside an incredible cast including Barry Keoghan , Jacob Elordi , Rosamund Pike , and Richard E. Grant . Saltburn focuses on Oliver (Keoghan), a young man struggling through the social side of Oxford University when he’s invited to join the family of charismatic and classy Felix Catton (Elordi) on summer holiday. Wickedly exciting events ensue as the family’s eccentricities are revealed, forcing young Oliver to sink or swim.

Known for her clever storytelling and catchy visuals, Fennell pours her feverish style all over Saltburn . Like Promising Young Woman , Saltburn weaves a thrilling tale exploring the intersection of sex, violence, and class while slathering on a colorful veneer of secrets. Peppered with stellar acting, the talent within the ensemble cast is undeniable, yet it’s Fennell’s ability to maneuver through harshness and humor that sets Saltburn apart. - Yael Tygiel

'Tr' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 91% | imdb: 7.4/10.

Release Date October 7, 2022

Director Todd Field

Cast Sophie Kauer, Noemie Merlant, Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Julian Glover

Runtime 2 hr 38 min

Genres Drama, Psychological

Tár revolves around the titular character Lydia Tár ( Cate Blanchett ), a pioneering conductor of a renowned German Orchestra. At the peak of her career, she's gearing up for a book launch and a highly anticipated live performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony. However, as the following weeks unfold, her life takes a uniquely modern turn, resulting in a compelling exploration of power, its consequences, and its relevance in contemporary society.

Tár is a brilliantly crafted depiction of a complex woman and her various relationships — with her family, her industry, and time itself. The film is also a nuanced work that naturally prompts challenging and uncomfortable conversations about women in positions of power and the potential for power abuse. Furthermore, Tár stands out as an atypical #MeToo movement story in which the perpetrator is a woman. It underscores the important message that danger and threats can emerge from unexpected sources, even within what is traditionally considered a victim pool. Tár also refrains from making overt, accusatory statements about the state of our society and individuals in positions of authority. Instead, it invites the audience to examine Lydia, encouraging them to perceive her in her entirety and to form their own conclusions. - Jessie Nguyen

'Funny Girl' (1968)

Release Date September 18, 1968

Director William Wyler

Cast Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Omar Sharif, Barbra Streisand

Runtime 2 hr 29 min

Genres Biography, Drama, Comedy, Musical

Earning eight Academy Award nominations, Funny Girl is the iconic musical comedy film that was not only Barbra Streisand ’s film debut but also gave her her first Oscar. Directed by William Wyler , Funny Girl is based on the true story of comedienne Fanny Brice (Streisand), her romance with Nick Arnstein ( Omar Sharif ), and her rise to stardom around World War I. Supported by Kay Medford and Anne Francis , Funny Girl was adapted by Isobel Lennart from her book for the semi-biographical Broadway show.

With recent returns to Broadway, allowing both Beanie Feldstein and Lea Michele a chance at playing Brice, Funny Girl continues to hold strong to its legacy, yet no performance is better than Streisand’s award-winning portrayal. With hilarious jokes and memorable quips, Funny Girl also shines due to the catchy, and now legendary, musical numbers, including Don’t Rain on My Parade and People . - Yael Tygiel

'Heathers' (1989)

Rotten tomatoes: 93% | imdb: 7.2/10.

Release Date March 31, 1989

Director Michael Lehmann

Cast Penelope Milford, Winona Ryder, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater

Runtime 103 minutes

Genres Teen, Comedy, Thriller

Heathers revolves around Veronica Sawyer, played by Winona Ryder , who is part of a popular but cruel clique of girls, all named Heather, at Westerburg High School. The Heathers, led by the domineering and ruthless Heather Chandler ( Kim Walker ), engage in manipulative and bullying behavior. Veronica becomes disillusioned with the Heathers and falls for a rebellious new student named Jason "J.D." Dean ( Christian Slater ). Together, they embark on a dark and satirical journey, inadvertently causing chaos and violence in the high school.

Even three decades later, Heathers remains an iconic movie about high school and has achieved cult classic status over the years, drawing a dedicated fan base. It satirically comments on high school social dynamics, bullying, and extremes, featuring memorable characters like the domineering Heather Chandler and rebellious J.D., who have left an enduring mark on pop culture. Additionally, Heathers is a unique blend of horror, satire, and teen drama, along with its sharp dialogue and dark high school politics, setting it apart in the high school movie genre. The film's distinctive '80s aesthetic and killer soundtrack also further enhance its visual and auditory appeal. Moreover, Ryder flawlessly embodies a character that fans can scarcely believe exists in real life, cementing it as one of her most iconic roles ever. - Jessie Nguyen

The 38 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now (May 2024)

'Atlas' review: Jennifer Lopez befriends an AI in her scrappy new Netflix space movie

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, here comes a movie where Jennifer Lopez tries to out-sass a computer program.

Jenny from the Block is in her Iron Man era with “Atlas” (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; streaming now on Netflix ), a sci-fi action thriller directed by Brad Peyton ( “San Andreas” ) that pairs two hot commodities: a pop-culture superstar and artificial intelligence.

The movie shares aspects with a bevy of films like “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,” "The Iron Giant" and “Pacific Rim,” and it’s best to not think too hard about the science involved. Yet there’s a scrappiness to “Atlas” that pairs well with a human/machine bonding narrative and a fish-out-of-water Lopez trying to figure out how to work a super cool, high-tech armored suit and not die spectacularly.

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But “Atlas” doesn’t have the best start, beginning with the mother of exposition dumps: In the future, AI has evolved to a dangerous degree and a robotic terrorist named Harlan (a charmless Simu Liu) has turned genocidal, wanting to wipe out most of mankind. He’s defeated and retreats into space, vowing to return, and in the ensuing 28 years, counterterrorism analyst Atlas Shepherd – whose mother invented Harlan and made him part of their family before he went bad – has been trying to find him.

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She’s distrustful of Al and also most humans: The antisocial Atlas’ only true love is coffee but she’s also crazy smart, and she figures out the galaxy where Harlan’s hiding. Atlas forces herself on a military space mission run by a no-nonsense colonel (Sterling K. Brown) to track down Harlan, but amid a sneak attack by cyborg bad guys, Atlas has to hop in a mech suit to survive. The caveat: to run the thing, she has to create a neural link with an onboard AI named Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan).

Streaming preview: 15 new movies you'll want to watch this summer, from 'Atlas' to 'Beverly Hills Cop 4'

Obviously, there’s a climactic throwdown with Harlan – you don’t need ChatGPT to figure out the predictable plot – and there are plenty of action scenes with spotty visual effects. But “Atlas” cooks most when it’s just Atlas and Smith, sniping and snarking at each other: He fixes her broken leg, her cursing expands his vocabulary, and slowly they figure out a way to coexist and become a formidable fighting unit.

Lopez does well with the buddy comedy vibe as well as her whole "Atlas" character arc. The fact that she starts as a misanthropic hot mess – even her hair is unruly, though still movie star-ready – makes her an appealing character, one you root for as she becomes besties with a computer and finds herself in mortal danger every five minutes.

While “Atlas” doesn’t top the J. Lo movie canon – that’s rarefied air for the likes of “Out of Sight” and “Hustlers” – it’s certainly more interesting than a lot of her rom-com output . Her action-oriented vehicles such as this and the assassin thriller “The Mother,” plus B-movie “Anaconda” and sci-fi film “The Cell” back in the day, show a willing gameness to venture outside her A-list box.

It also helps when she finds the right dance partner – in this case, a wily AI. And in “Atlas,” that unlikely friendship forgives the bigger glitches.

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Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west. Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west. Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.

Kevin Costner
Sienna Miller
6 User reviews
18 Critic reviews
51 Metascore

Hayes Ellison

Frances Kittredge

Diamond Kittredge

Owen Kittredge

Hugh Proctor

Caleb Sykes

First Lt. Trent Gephardt

Walter Childs

Sgt. Major Riordan

Roland Bailey

Matthew Van Weyden

Colonel Houghton
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May 23, 2024

The 2024 Festival Films You Need to Know

When will Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 be released? Powered by Alexa
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Horizon: An American Saga
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IMAGES

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The Other Lamb (2019) Film Explained In Hind/Urdu Summarized हिन्दी

COMMENTS

Lamb (2021)
86% Tomatometer 190 Reviews 61% Audience Score 100+ Verified Ratings A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn.
Lamb movie review & film summary (2021)
But "Lamb" puts them all on an obscure backburner for far too long, prioritizing its skillful aesthetics and tone over a meaningful exploration of the anxieties at its heart. Advertisement. Still, a fierce sense of originality you won't be able to shake and look away from nearly makes up for the film's relative lack of depth.
Lamb
Lamb is a greatly written movie and is acted out very well. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Weird and creepy. Never really comes together.
'Lamb' Review: Stark, Strange Icelandic Motherhood Horror
'Lamb' Review: Noomi Rapace Adopts a Uniquely Strange Baby in Striking Motherhood Horror Reviewed in Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), July 13, 2021. Running time: 106 MIN.
'Lamb' Review: Oh No, Not My Baby!
If movies had smells, "Lamb" would reek of wet wool and dry hay, icy mist and animal breath. Bathed in the sort of unforgiving, glacial light that has actresses begging for a pink filter, this ...
Lamb (2021)
Lamb: Directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson. With Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Sigurdsson. A childless couple discovers a mysterious newborn on their farm in Iceland.
"Lamb," Reviewed: A Horror Film Where Cleverness Is the Problem
María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) are a young couple on a farm in a remote part of Iceland. They grow crops (most prominently, potatoes) and they raise a few dozen sheep ...
'Lamb': Film Review
July 14, 2021 1:22pm. 'Lamb' Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival. A sheep-farming couple in rugged rural Iceland receive what they interpret to be an unexpected gift from nature to soothe the pain of ...
'Lamb' Review: The Sweetest Horror-Movie Nightmare You've Ever Seen
He initially appears to be a potential threat to the couple's newfound paradise, then possibly an ally, and eventually someone who, along with his fellow humans, may have to answer for what has ...
'Lamb' review: Noomi Rapace stars in a quiet, ominous tale
When Ingvar's deadbeat, washed-up rock star brother Petúr ( Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) turns up on their doorstep, he's astonished, bewildered and frankly disgusted. But he too becomes tender ...
Lamb Review: A24's New Horror Isn't Scary... But Is Deeply Disturbing
In concept, Lamb feels like a tribute to old folk tales, and there's an element to that in the abrupt (and admittedly shocking) ending. This film may feel too niche and reserved for hardcore horror fans, but still too disturbing and unsettling for the average viewer. Regardless, Lamb is another A24 folk horror that many won't forget any time soon.
'Lamb' Review: Noomi Rapace Stars in Ridiculous A24 Horror
OK, here goes: "Lamb" is about a young couple, María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason), who adopt a child with the head of a lamb as their daughter. That's right: One night ...
Lamb (2021) Review
Lamb (2021) Review. The hardscrabble lives of Icelandic farmers Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) are reinvigorated by a miraculous discovery in their sheep shed. But a ...
'Lamb' Review: An Unsettling Portrait of Family Life
In a story that examines how we cope with loss, this conversation is a thought provoking and fitting way to start the film. The central characters are grieving, and though it goes unsaid, they ...
Lamb Review
Posted: Sep 25, 2021 7:00 pm. Lamb will debut in North American theaters on Oct. 8. The premise of Valdimar Jóhannsson's Lamb invites utmost intrigue: in rural Iceland, a childless farming ...
Lamb
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 ...
Lamb Movie Review: Folk Horror Eventually Burns Out on Low ...
Valdimar Jóhannsson 's Lamb looks to find the horror in obscuring that boundary while also trying to reinforce certain ideas about natural orders that shouldn't be transgressed. It makes for ...
Lamb (2021 film)
Lamb (Icelandic: Dýrið, lit. 'The animal') is a 2021 folk horror film directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón.The film's plot is about the birth of a human/sheep hybrid of mysterious origin and the couple who adopts the child as their own. An international co-production between Iceland, Sweden, and Poland, the film stars Noomi Rapace, and marks Valdimar ...
Lamb Movie Review: Beautiful, Devastating, and One of the Year's Best
Lamb tells the human tale of the yearning to procreate but de-centers the human. In doing so, the film respects the human condition and struggle without rendering us totally blameless.
'Lamb' review: Noomi Rapace stars in a quiet, ominous tale
When Ingvar's deadbeat, washed-up rock star brother Petúr ( Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) turns up on their doorstep, he's astonished, bewildered and frankly disgusted. But he too becomes tender ...
Lamb Movie Review: A Slow Burn That Is Worth Every Second
The first does a great job of setting the scene and the story, the second introduces more and more questions, and the third is off the wall craziness that no one will see coming. This movie is all about the efforts this couple is willing to put in to be happy. They are committed to the themselves and this life with Ada, their lamb.
Mad Max Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
(Photo by Warner Bros/Getty Images) Mad Max Movies Ranked by Tomatometer. The original Mad Max, perennially set just a few years from right now, starred Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, an Australian officer patrolling a society in rapid decline from pollution and dwindling natural resources.Director George Miller keeps the exact details behind the dystopia in the margins, using the encroaching ...
New horror movie debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score at Cannes
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Daisy Ridley aka Rey from the Star Wars franchise, has gotten some criticism for her name throughout the years since she joined the franchise. Starring alongside notable names such as Harrison ...
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Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 7.5/10 . ... Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy ... where it received largely positive reviews from critics. The movie has been hailed as a return to the classic romantic comedy ...
'Atlas' movie review: J.Lo battles space robots in new Netflix film
Just when you think you've seen everything, here comes a movie where Jennifer Lopez tries to out-sass a computer program.. Jenny from the Block is in her Iron Man era with "Atlas" (★★½ ...
Horizon: An American Saga
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1: Directed by Kevin Costner. With Kevin Costner, Abbey Lee, Sienna Miller, Jena Malone. Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.

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