Rent The Other Lamb (2019)

Gripping and unnerving - The Other Lamb review by PD

With films about cults a dime a dozen these days, it takes an original work to stand out, and by and large Malgorzata Szumowska’s The Other Lamb does just that. It’s due in large part to the film succeeding across multiple fronts, not merely just as an exploration of a mysterious group organized around the semi-deity of the cult leader (Michiel Huisman as Shepherd), for Szumowska's interest lies not in what brought them to fall under his spell but rather in what keeps them there.

Much of the connection is, predictably, a stubborn belief in their religious convictions, but Shepherd’s prodigious breeding creates two tiers among the group – Wives and Daughters, and it's this dynamic which captures our interest predominantly. Much of our understanding of how the group functions comes through the eyes of the protagonist, Sela, superbly played by Raffey Cassidy, a Daughter who has no sense of identity or perspective that doesn’t involve the group. Her coming-of-age story has the potential to alter all relationships and structures as power and sexuality entrances her, but control and subjugation repels her. As told through Szumowska’s (admittedly rather heavy-handed at times) symbolic aesthetic, the film makes for a chilling glance at the strange pull that cults exert on their members and how their values imprint themselves on their members in irrevocable ways. And of course it all might well be taking place inside Sela’s head - her unconscious signalling the onset of enslavement rather than the first stirrings of adult freedom. She is now ripe for Shepherd but also soiled, given that he judges menstruating women “unclean” and remands them to a dark shack. Shepherd melts out of the mist like a hybrid of Jesus, Rasputin and Dracula. He is all engulfing males rolled into one.

The film is heavily reliant on deliberately unnerving imagery, often at the expense of dialogue, and the painfully slow pace will undoubtedly put off many, whilst the idea is that vulnerable women will give up their autonomy, indeed their very identities, to such an entitled being, requires a bit of an imaginative leap (although of course there are historic precedents). However, Cassidy carries us through, she is superb at evoking the quintessential teenage demeanor: superiority with glints of uncertainty. Recalling 'The Witch' and 'The Handmaid’s Tale', it reminds us how the folk-horror genre has long been interested in female bodies that are used and abused by men, and how they often become entwined inextricably with practices of twisted religious devotion. Gripping stuff.

Is it over yet? - The Other Lamb review by KF

Not much of a story line, not much to say about the dialogue, uninspiring cinematics, not worth watching I'd say. What I found really tedious was the tendency for the camera to linger excessively over a series of nothing scenes, an indication I suppose that there was really not a lot going on in the film. The film's attempts to create mystery, tension and atmosphere failed dismally I thought and just made the whole affair painfully slow and boring.

A slim story amidst some stunning locations. - The Other Lamb review by NP

‘The Other Lamb’ tells its slim story amidst some beautifully shot Irish locations. The acting on display from all concerned is very persuasive and convincing.

There is, however, an element of ‘is that it?’ as the final scene rolls along. There are no real surprises here, and the audience is allowed instead to follow events until the inevitable occurs at the end. That’s not to say the influence of Shepherd (Michiel Huisman) isn’t convincing – because it is - and his flock’s devotion to him equally so.

We’re not given any reasons, other than Shepherd took girls from their ‘broken’ lives to be with him, as to how he achieved his status, where he came from or what his aims were/are. Perhaps this is to perpetuate the view that he is truly as benign and timeless as he is seen to be.

Enjoyable and scenic, this won’t thrill you with its story; but that doesn’t seem the intention. My score is 6 out of 10.