This Icelandic film (Yes, it is subtitled) brought to you by A24 has a small cast that delivers some fantastic performances. The promotion includes “Horror”, after living through 2020, this film does
not come close.
This story is more myth and fairytale. Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnasen) are sheep farmers. They live a quiet life far from Reykjavik. The sheep are well taken care of by the couple. It is early spring and soon the herd will be lambing.
The film definitely leans toward Nordic art house, It is beautifully filmed in a valley surrounded by immense peaks. The film portrays the feeling of starkness in early spring. It is so quiet and nothing much happens, at least we are led to believe. We see wolf packs and wonder what is going on late in the night when we sense a disturbance in the herd pen. The next day, we don’t see any lost sheep or bloodied carcasses.
We are presented with the lambing, increasing the herd.
The family dog is doing his job, moving the lambs to different fields to feed. We sense that Maria and Ingvar may be just sleepwalking through life as polite partners. We don’t see the light of a happy couple, maybe they are feeling as if something is missing.
The movie reminds me a bit of the Nordic films tendency to use silence as a major character to emphasise what is missing in a story.
I would characterize this film more as a reflection on loss,
redemption and revenge than a horror movie.
The acting is superb but the story is lacking in suspense and depth of the tale. If you are a fan of Nordic Films, this would be one to see. If you are looking for a horror movie, this is not a good
choice.
3 Stars out of 5
