Lamb is an upcoming horror/drama film directed by Valdimar Johannsson and is being distributed by the fan-favorite indie production company A24. Coming hot off of some stellar buzz from the Cannes Film Festival, this oddball tale will introduce audiences to a decidedly uncomfortable predicament set in the Icelandic countryside. Like other films released by A24, Lamb is shrouded in mystery, with only a brief and bizarre trailer to give audiences a taste of its madness. If Lamb nails the disturbing yet artistic tone that A24 films are renowned for, there’s a good chance it will be the talk of the town this Halloween season. With the film releasing on October 8, 2021, we don’t have to wait very long to dive into the demented and darkly humorous world of Lamb.
What You Need to Know About Lamb
A lot of the fun of Lamb is its absurd yet haunting premise, so we’re going to do our best not to spoil any of the fun bits. First and foremost, Lamb is the feature-length debut from Valdimar Johannsson, a new director with some notable experience in the industry. Although Johannsson lacks experience in terms of writing and directing, he has spent plenty of time behind the scenes, working as both an electrician and special effects technician on big-budget projects like The Tomorrow War, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Game of Thrones. Lamb has a small but talented cast, including Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, and more. As a fun side-note, this foreign language film is the first time Noomi Rapace acts in Icelandic, which she learned while living there during her childhood.
Going off of the official synopsis and trailer footage alone, Lamb centers around Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), a childless couple living on a farm in rural Iceland. While working with the livestock, the pair make a startling discovery, but choose to make the best of an unexpected situation. Life on the farm proceeds normally for some time, with the couple happier than ever. Unfortunately, their days of joy are numbered, as they must eventually face the repercussions of their unholy actions.
While our explanation is exceptionally cryptic, it would be a shame to spoil the twists and turns of Lamb. This soft-spoken indie film seems to be adopting a slow-burn approach, utilizing a dark and foreboding atmosphere to build steady dread. The tone is similar to A24’s The Witch, a suspenseful period piece about witchcraft set in 17th century England. Anchored to themes of family, nature versus nurture, and retribution, Lamb will likely offer a layered narrative, perfect for post-movie discussion.
How A24 is Redefining Modern Horror
As a standalone foreign language film with a notably awkward premise, Lamb might not have gotten the attention it deserved had it not been for A24. This promising production company was founded nearly 10 years ago in 2012, but it didn’t receive much mainstream recognition until a few years ago. While the company distributed unique and intriguing films like The End of the Tour, Green Room, and Swiss Army Man in its early years, A24 didn’t see a huge spotlight until Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2016. Since then, they’ve been excelling in all genres, distributing award-winning films like The Disaster Artist, Eighth Grade, and Minari over the past few years.
Despite its track record of quality in the drama genre, A24 has made its most significant splash in the world of horror films, offering an artistic resurgence that has fans eagerly awaiting every new release. When you sit down to watch an A24 film, you can expect it to be weird, violent, and atmospheric. This is doubly true for their horror movies, with notable titles like Tusk, Hereditary, and Midsommar simultaneously shocking and perplexing audiences around the world. Our impression is that Lamb will veer more towards atmospheric dread than disgusting gore, but you can never be too sure with an A24 project. Either way, we’re excited to check out this peculiar and bleak film when it releases next month.
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