A24 is responsible for some of the most astonishing and thought-provoking films of the last decade, none more so than 2021. Lambacts as a dark twist on a classic fairy tale trope. Lamb Noomi Rapace stars as an Icelandic livestock farmer who adopts a strange human/lamb hybrid child of mysterious origins after losing her own daughter. Although classified as a folk horror film, Lamb not so much scary as disturbing. In fact, it resonates more like an ancient tale brought to life in modern times than anything else.
Fan theories abound Lamb's shock ending, but regardless of how the viewer interprets it, the story is rich with common fairy tale tropes. The Icelandic setting seems almost surreal and dreamlike, and Rapace's performances as Maria and Hilmir Snær Guðnason as Ingvar help turn the story from just a cautionary tale into something more terrifying. But in its center Lamb takes a popular fairy tale trope and turns it on its head, putting the viewer in an unfamiliar place when it comes to sympathy and perspective.
A24's The Lamb Puts a New Spin on Classic Fairy Tale Tropes
One Common Folktale Theme in particular is turned upside down
As opposed to the more common expression denoting a story based on fictional characters or settings, kidnapping is a common trope in fairy tales, especially when talking about real fairies. In much of European folklore, supernatural beings such as fairies are said to steal children from their homes and replace them with an entity known as a “shifter” that mimics the child but with some differences. Stories originated as a way to explain and describe children with developmental disabilities or neurological deficits long before such medical diagnoses were possible.
Fairy mythology is still very much alive and well as a 2024 movie
Watchmen
He especially dealt with changelings, the fairy impostors of Irish folklore.
Perhaps the most famous example of malevolent kidnapping is the story of Rapunzel, who is kidnapped by an evil sorceress for her own good. Regardless of story or culture, the common denominator is that the kidnapper appears to be the villainand the bereaved parents are the victims. Lamb turns this love on its head, giving the audience the perspective of the kidnappers.
Maria and Ingvar are not the biological parents of Ada, a human/sheep hybrid child, but they take her to raise in place of their dead daughter. It is revealed that the sheep that gave birth to Ada wants her back and is eventually killed by Maria to silence her. Ingvar's final confrontation with Ada's biological father, Ram Man, is described as a terrifying attack by a monster. in fact, it's just a father getting his daughter back from her kidnappers. This is a complete reversal of the typical audience perspective in kidnapping tales.
Why The Lamb Is Worth Watching For Fairy Tale Fans
Even Classified As Folk Horror It's A Really Fantastic Movie
The concept of a human/sheep hybrid is certainly fantastic and immediately takes the film from the plane of reality into the realm of imagination. Fairytale lovers will again appreciate the Icelandic setting, with its post-volcanic hills and windswept meadows. The final confrontation between Ingvar and the Ram Man is graphic but far from violent. it's a story solution very reminiscent of a fairy tale, complete with role reversal and an implied lesson.. case Lambis a metaphor about accepting loss and facing grief head on.
Why The Lamb Is One Of Noomi Rapace's Best Films To Date
One of the Most Liked Movies in His Filmography
while Lamb has developed a cult following in the three years since its release, it's no B-movie with unexpected popularity. Lamb It was an official selection of the 2021 Cannes Film Festivaland Iceland entered Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards that year. The film was widely praised by critics, with many singling out Noomi Rapace's performance as an element that elevates the strange, disturbing narrative into something that will stay with the viewer after watching it.
A24 Lamb Basic Details |
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Release date |
General cash register |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Account |
September 24, 2021 |
3.2 million dollars |
86% |
61% |
It is fair to consider Lamb Although not one of the best of Noomi Rapace's films, both in terms of the caliber of the film and her performance in the film. Lamb it is one of only five films in his filmography with a Certified Fresh rating It represents his second-highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes and, as of 2014, on Tomatometer at 86%. While the Rotten Tomatoes Tomato Scale isn't the final word on a film's quality, it does provide a useful guide to whether a film is well received by critics, and with ratings this high, it's clear that Lamb It is among Rapace's best films.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes