By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Malgorzata Szumowska
Starring: Kelly Campbell | Mallory Adams | Michiel Huisman | Raffey Cassidy
Country: belgium, ireland, united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 97
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7737734/reference
Michael says: “After discovering that Malgorzata Szumowska had a film eligible this year, and that it was already on my list of movies I wanted to watch, I wasted no time in checking out THE OTHER LAMB. I had been putting this one off because it was billed as a quasi-horror movie about a cult, but the horror isn’t as much in violence or supernatural threats, but in the actions and behaviors of its cast of women, all of whom are devoted to their ‘Shepherd.’ Shot in Ireland (standing in for what may be the U.S.), with a Polish director, and a U.S. cast, THE OTHER LAMB could be anywhere, but the harsh and gorgeous remote forests, mountains, waterfalls, and lakes of Ireland create an ominous and beautiful backdrop for this fairly standard story of hubris, and misogyny.
Our protagonist is Selah, a girl on the verge of womanhood, played by Raffey Cassidy (THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER). The only life she has known is that of The Shepherd, a cross between Jesus and Manson, downplayed well by Miciael Huisman, well known to TV viewers of The Haunting of Hill House, Game of Thrones, Nashville and Orphan Black. She is one of The Shepherd’s daughters, in her case, both figuratively and literally, her mother supposedly dying in childbirth. She’s a devoted follower, but you can tell she’s got an edge, sometimes arguing with her fellow flock — which is against the rules. Things are creepy enough, but when it becomes clear that the Shepherd has designs on moving Selah from the daughters, to the wives category (denoted by the color of their beautifully designed robes) the gets even more uncomfortable. When a brush with the law forces the Shepherd and his flock (both his women, and his sheep) to make a lengthy, arduous trek across the wild Irish wilderness in search of a new ‘Eden,’ Selah starts to listen to Sarah, a former wife, who is now considered ‘broken’ by the Shepherd, who slowly starts to share some truths about this flock that clearly set Selah on a path to rebellion. Things turn pretty dark in the final third of the film, leading to an ultimate confrontation that sees Selah claiming her power.
While the story is fairly straight-forward and rife with symbolism, I found it to be quite effective, with stunning cinematography by frequent Szumowska collaborated, Michel Englert, and fine acting. Huisman wisely tones down the dark side of his personality in favor of the rather officious messiah role. Small supporting roles by the women in the flock are well-handled, and Denise Gough is particularly strong as Sarah. Cassidy does a good job as Selah as well, waffling back and forth between supplication and rebellion. Szumowska is strong visual director, and interestingly enough, it seems that THE OTHER LAMB is the only feature of hers that she did not write. Still she is clearly drawn to some themes that pop up, albeit in very different guises, in this and
NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN.
4 cats
