The surreal horror/drama THE OTHER LAMB centers on a teen-aged girl in a cult led by a man called Shepherd (Dutch actor Michiel Huisman of “Game of Thrones”), who has a striking resemblance to traditional depictions of Jesus. But there is little that is lamb-like in this charismatic autocratic leader of a flock of obedient wives as they live a communal pastoral existence hidden deep in the woods, until their lives are disrupted by an event that send them on a journey with a violent end.
The girl, Selah (Raffey Cassidy), is one of the daughters of the Shepherd, although it is unclear whether they are all his actual offspring. Indeed, Shepherd barely looks old enough to have fathered a teen, much less so many. The “wives” are clad in red or purple and the “daughters” are dressed in blue, but some of the wives look little older than the daughters. And then you notice something odd – all the children are girls, there are no little boys. Actually there are few young children at all, with most of the girls adolescents or pre-adolescent, which seems even more unsettling.
THE OTHER LAMB brings to mind the Charles Manson cult, “The Handmaiden’s Tale,” and MIDSOMMAR among others. The film is beautifully shot, an atmospheric tale that opens with dream-like scene in which Selah, clad in long white robes, is floating in water, an image that evokes Hamlet’s Ophelia. That is a lot of unsettling allusions to pack in, but Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska, making her English-language film debut, is just getting started, in this surreal tale of abuse, misogyny and patriarchy.
Selah has known no other life than the cult, and seems content sharing quarters with her sisters and filling her day doing chores for their simple, pastoral life. The cult occupies in several buildings deep in the woods, with the daughters living in one, the wives in another, and Shepherd in his own. The whole compound covered by an awning of strings. At dinner, the wives and daughters praise and thank Shepherd, who concludes the meal by selecting a wife for the night, asking her if she will receive his grace. On Sunday, the wives and daughters dress in white and listen adoringly while Shepherd gives his sermon in a “church” made of a string box enclosing a clearing among the trees. The sermon is followed by a bloody sacrifice of a lamb.
From the beginning, there is something creepy about Shepherd whenever he speaks to Selah, an unsettling whiff of incestuous interest that is hard to shake. Paired with the film’s frequent nightmarish fantasy sequences, the feeling of unease suffused the drama.
However, THE OTHER LAMB is more a surreal and visually stunning study of the topics it raised than either a plot driven mystery or even a deep exploration of the themes it touches on. Still, it is a haunting film that raises questions about how women are treated in society. It also offers a series of haunting, horrifying images, and tense atmospheric scenes between the gifted cast, although what ultimately happens is not entirely a surprise. The mysterious dream-like images that open the film are followed by a series of other surreal, more nightmarish sequences sprinkled throughout, images just as mysterious as the opening one (is this a baptism or drowning?) but far more disturbing – a skinned lamb, the rotting remains of a bird, and other haunting images.
In addition to its striking photography, fine acting performances are a major strength of this symbolic horror/drama. Time and again, the camera focuses on Raffey Cassidy’s expressive face, shifting from innocent wonder to confusion to fear and rage, as she grapples with her nightmares and her shifting ideas about her faith and her life. Selah’s close relationship with her half-sister Tamar (Ailbhe Cowley) is shaken by Selah’s evolving doubts, and all are shaken by the horrific events that transpire. Denise Gough plays Sarah, one of the older wives who has fallen out of favor with Shepherd and is exiled to a hidden shack. The bitter, sarcastic Sarah has been with the cult from the start, and offers Selah her only insights on the outside world and on her dead mother. Michiel Huisman is brilliant disturbing as Shepherd, veering from posing as a benevolent, protective father figure who dispenses wisdom to something much darker, as his mask slips to reveal the selfish egotist beneath.
THE OTHER LAMB is unsettling to watch, and while it does not explore in depth the topics it raises, its haunting meditation on them and its haunting visuals are enough to keep it in your mind long after the film ends. THE OTHER LAMB debuted April 3 as digital and cable video-on-demand on streaming platforms Amazon Digital, Vudu, Spectrum, Apple TV, Xbox, GooglePlay and others.
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
