A real different movie. Mostly peaceful, taking place in a pretty far from civilization farm in Iceland. Not much talking, not much noise, not much action either. The couple takes care of their farm and sheep. One day a lamb is born and they just take it inside, and start treating it like if it was their baby.
Again, there's no talking there, they don't talk about it, just see it, look at each other, and take it home. Now it sleeps in a crib in their room, and she feeds it with baby bottles while the mother (the sheep) keeps screaming at their window. The fact that they had a crib and baby bed ready suggests they probably lost a child at some point (if you don't catch on it there, it's emphasized later when she visits the grave).
So ok, weird, where is it going ? It takes a while where you're wondering if they see it as a human (and only them do ?), whether they're crazy or there's something else at play, until you finally get to see it: the head and one arm are lamb, but the rest is human. It's such a good choice. Instead of having a half lamb half human baby as the starting situation, that you would easily accept as the movie premises, you spend a while thinking it's about crazy people raising a lamb as a child THEN you get confronted with the supernatural part.
Now the question is, how will this work with the rest of society ? We get a glimpse with the visit of Ingvar's brother, when the child has grown, walks and is dressed like a human. At this point you're still wondering whether it's real or all in their heads: it's real. Sadly this will be the only other interaction with someone from outside the farm, would have loved to see her sent to school, but that's not the way the movie is going.
Then comes a bit of family drama, the brother obviously having a hard time accepting this creature as a child then warming up to it and apparently a complex past relationship with Maria. This is all ok but not super interesting either. You're just aware that some danger is lurking around. More aware than they are anyway, as no one seems to care that the dog is dead...
The fx on the child are great. She has an almost human form and stance, but not quite, is able to interact almost normally with objects (like plates and glasses), but with a lamb head that still manages to conveys understanding and emotions. It just looks pretty natural, really a great job.
And when you're just wondering where it's going next, the movie just stops brutally as a creature that is clearly the child's real father, a huge humanoid goat, kills Ingvar to take the child away. Kills him with a gun, not like a beast, but like a human would do. A just retribution for Maria killing the mother. Weird. Brutal. Totally unexpected. And in complete contrast with the rest of the movie's peaceful and almost natural (despite the child) atmosphere. Perfect.
Review by FLYVIP 2BlockedParentSpoilers2021-09-23T22:04:28Z
A real different movie. Mostly peaceful, taking place in a pretty far from civilization farm in Iceland. Not much talking, not much noise, not much action either. The couple takes care of their farm and sheep. One day a lamb is born and they just take it inside, and start treating it like if it was their baby.
Again, there's no talking there, they don't talk about it, just see it, look at each other, and take it home. Now it sleeps in a crib in their room, and she feeds it with baby bottles while the mother (the sheep) keeps screaming at their window. The fact that they had a crib and baby bed ready suggests they probably lost a child at some point (if you don't catch on it there, it's emphasized later when she visits the grave).
So ok, weird, where is it going ? It takes a while where you're wondering if they see it as a human (and only them do ?), whether they're crazy or there's something else at play, until you finally get to see it: the head and one arm are lamb, but the rest is human. It's such a good choice. Instead of having a half lamb half human baby as the starting situation, that you would easily accept as the movie premises, you spend a while thinking it's about crazy people raising a lamb as a child THEN you get confronted with the supernatural part.
Now the question is, how will this work with the rest of society ? We get a glimpse with the visit of Ingvar's brother, when the child has grown, walks and is dressed like a human. At this point you're still wondering whether it's real or all in their heads: it's real. Sadly this will be the only other interaction with someone from outside the farm, would have loved to see her sent to school, but that's not the way the movie is going.
Then comes a bit of family drama, the brother obviously having a hard time accepting this creature as a child then warming up to it and apparently a complex past relationship with Maria. This is all ok but not super interesting either. You're just aware that some danger is lurking around. More aware than they are anyway, as no one seems to care that the dog is dead...
The fx on the child are great. She has an almost human form and stance, but not quite, is able to interact almost normally with objects (like plates and glasses), but with a lamb head that still manages to conveys understanding and emotions. It just looks pretty natural, really a great job.
And when you're just wondering where it's going next, the movie just stops brutally as a creature that is clearly the child's real father, a huge humanoid goat, kills Ingvar to take the child away. Kills him with a gun, not like a beast, but like a human would do. A just retribution for Maria killing the mother. Weird. Brutal. Totally unexpected. And in complete contrast with the rest of the movie's peaceful and almost natural (despite the child) atmosphere. Perfect.