MYTH MAKER
LAMB Icelandic director Valdimar Jóhannsson’s debut is completely baa-my.
It could have been a disaster comedy if it didn’t work,” reflects writer/ director Valdimar Jóhannsson, talking about his startling and surreal debut Lamb. The sensation of the recent Cannes Film Festival, this tale of loss and parenthood co-written by Valdimar with the famed poet, novelist and fellow Icelander Sjón was met with enthusiastic reviews along the lines of “batshit crazy” for its unique and off-kilter premise.
“We really wanted to create a film we had not seen but really wanted to see,” comments Valdimar, who worked with Sjón for years crafting the story. For those who just want to take the plunge, stop reading now, as Lamb is difficult to discuss without spoilers. Still here? OK. Set on a remote sheep farm, the story follows childless couple María and Ingvar (Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snaer Guðnason) as they adopt Ada, a bizarre hybrid with the head of a lamb and body of a child.
Where did this story come from? “My grandparents were sheep farmers,” says the director. “I grew up in a small village and they lived 5km away, so I was always there. They had an amazing relationship. There was so much respect and love. I think my grandmother… there is some of her in María.”
With VFX supervisor Peter Hjorth (Antichrist) overseeing the visual effects,
creating the creature saw Valdimar and his crew get inventive. “We used puppets. Then we used children. Then we used real lambs.” Oftentimes, they’d be waiting for a chosen lamb to fall asleep. “Then actors had to squeeze in. Sometimes it would wake up and we’d have to wait for another 30 minutes. It was very time-consuming.”
Drawing from local myths for a story that gets stranger with every minute, Valdimar wants to assure people: “It’s not a horror film… it’s just a classical story with one surrealist element.” As for the original Icelandic title (Dýrið), it’s impossible to translate, he says. “It means ‘animal’ and also it means ‘the beast’. It’s a beautiful word.” What an apt description. JM
ETA | 10 DECEMBER / LAMB OPENS IN TWO MONTHS.