I was not prepared when I pressed play and sat down to watch Malgorzata Szumowska’s The Other Lamb. From the get-go, I had a feeling of overwhelming dread as I watched the Sheppard interact with wives and children. You see, his biological daughters are also his future wives (*shudders). His favorite daughter is Selah (Raffey Cassidy), who we watch go from being a child to t a young woman who finds her own strength as she comes to see the truth about her father.
I will give you a warning, there are a lot of truly disturbing things in this film including several scenes of animal sacrifice, but the most disturbing is the incest that is present from beginning to end. The only monsters depicted here are the characters themselves, reminding us of the cruelty possible within a family.
The Other Lamb is not your common horror film but definitely qualifies for the genre. I’ve seen thousands of horror films and I have to say, I’ve become a bit jaded. There are few films that get a rise out of me or even a reaction these days, but The Other Lamb made me actually feel something, granted it was mostly disgust, not at the film, at what was happening in it. But any film that can make me feel something, anything, especially from beginning to end, is truly special. It’s a fantastic example of psychological horror. These women are constantly manipulated, while the rules are enforced strictly, all while being abused mentally and sexually.
Young actress Raffey Cassidy is absolutely incredible. She speaks volumes even when she doesn’t speak a word. She portrayed her role as Selah brilliantly, even through the darkest of scenes, and there were a lot of those. She is talented far beyond her years. I will definitely be following her career from here. The entire female cast is fantastic. They each had to play such difficult, emotionally charged roles.
Michiel Huisman, who stars as the Sheppard, gave a strong performance and plays depravity very well. I imagine his role had to be hard to play emotionally, though he never shows it.
It’s unnerving and horrific but at the same time, it’s beautiful and moving with an almost dream-like quality. No matter how dark each scene was it is beautifully captured as the film plays out against a backdrop of stunning nature.
The Other Lamb left me with a knot in my stomach for hours after I watched it. I found myself thinking about it while I lay sleepless in my bed. That’s the mark of a great film, one that makes you think, makes you feel. The Malgorzata Szumowska directed and C.S. McMullen written film gets a strong 5 out 5.
The Other Lamb, from the producers of Nightcrawler and Whiplash, will premiere in select cinemas, on VOD and on Digital April 3, 2020, from IFC Midnight. I strongly recommend that you see it, but please remember, it is not for young audiences.
