[Excerpt from our theatrical review]
"Lamb was written by Jóhannsson and the Icelandic poet and writer Sjón who have taken elements of horror folklore, Greek mythology, and western melodrama and have created a poetic tale set inside a luscious Icelandic valley of sheep farming. On the surface, this locale is serene, peaceful, and gorgeous - full of amazing hills, mountains, and greenery. But this place is riddled with a haunting mist and eerie noises that conjure up some a state of uneasiness - much like Robert Eggers' first film The Witch. It's best to go into Lamb blind with knowing nothing about the film because Jóhannsson's vision and ability to perfectly craft exactly what's happening on screen is nothing short of special and terrifying in its slow burn with flashes of insanity.
The opening sequence sets the haunted tone for the film as something in the snowstorm makes its way, scaring every animal in its path as this unseen creature approaches a barn. Through the reactions of the sheep inside and from the brunt noises and breathing, it's clear something weird is taking place. From here, Lamb introduces married couple Maria (Noomi Rapace from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) as they go through the monotone emotions of everyday sheep life farming. They barely speak, touch one another, and are basic zombies to each other's existence and surroundings."
Read the full theatrical review HERE...
Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Lamb walks its way to a one-disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from A24. Selling strictly from the A24 store and nowhere else at the moment, the packing is quite good and somewhat custom. The disc is housed in a cardboard case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork has a beautiful mix of color with a hand-drawn portrait of mother and child. There is a thick booklet included that reveals storyboards, concept art, and film credits. There is no essay or info about the film itself.
Lamb comes with a wonderful-looking 2160p UHD 4K transfer with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, along with HDR enhancement. This is a beautiful, stylized picture with a cool, more neutral, and subtle color palette, which this 4K image handles nicely.
Inside the rural Icelandic valley, pretty blues and grays of the sky above, along with the eerie damp, blue fog that haunts the screen always looks natural and great. The green pastures and tall grass look fantastic as well. This contrasts perfectly with the brown wooden barns, dirt, and mud, along with some more earthy notes inside the couple's house. Bright splashes of yellow in flowers, wardrobes, and vehicles light up the screen. The white and black fur on the lambs also look excellent in all light settings. But for most of the time, it's more of a haunting image with cool grays and silvers that compliment the scene.
The detail in this 4K image is outstanding. Individual hairs and fur can be seen on animals and humans. Specks of dirt, wrinkles, wounds, freckles and other facial features show up nicely here in all lighting conditions. Textures in fur, clothing and vegetation all look vivid and sharp as well. Background items such as flocks of sheep wool, wooden rails and fences, and flower petals all look amazing as well. Black levels are deep, inky, and full of life without any murkiness and the skin tones are rather natural, if not a little on the cool side due to the visual style. There are no major issues with aliasing, banding, or video noise.
This release comes with a phenomenal lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix that is as haunting as it is dynamic. There isn't a ton of big explosions or gunshots really in this movie like one would hear from an MCU action film, but the subtle noises are robust and loud on all accounts. Sound effects of farm life, animals rummaging around, and making their respective noises all sound exquisite. Their footsteps on dirt, grass, and wood are fantastic and nuanced with great directionality.
The normal house sounds like running water, and door creaks are all wonderful as well. Bigger noises such as the otherworldly sounds are big, natural, and full of a low end of bass with a nice rumble. The score always keeps the haunted vibe flowing and the dialogue is easy to follow and free of any audio problems.
Only about 20 minutes worth of bonus material is included, none of it really explains or tackles info about the making of the movie. There is a short, cool VFX reel and a couple of short films from the director.
Lamb is one of the best films of recent memory that tackles almost every genre inside one movie. It's sweetly melancholic, hauntingly disturbed, oddly funny, and dramatically sad that's set in the world of parenting and grief. There's nothing else like it. With excellent performances and beautiful camerawork, Lamb is on another level of filmmaking. The 4K image and the DTS 5.1 audio mix are both top-notch, but the bonus features are less than desired. With a hefty price tag that can only be purchased from the A24 shop at the moment, this film is ultimately FOR FANS ONLY, in hopes that another studio will release a more budget-friendly release with better extras.
