Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- eerie
- haunting
- late night horror
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Lamb as an atmospheric, formally assured Icelandic folk-horror debut with an unusual premise and powerful mood, while some found its slow pace and conclusion underwhelming.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
María and Ingvar treat the extraordinary newborn as their child and rebuild their household around it.
The remote Icelandic farm, mountains, animals, and mythic consequences frame the story as a contemporary folk tale.
The characters respond to the inexplicable birth and its domestic consequences with grave seriousness rather than overt disbelief.
The wind-swept sheep farm and surrounding mountains contain the household while repeatedly suggesting forces beyond human control.
Films like Lamb, and why
The Witch
shares slow burn folk horror, rural isolation, grief, and an uncanny relationship between humans and nature
The Skin I Live In
combines unsettling body-centered fantasy, parenthood, grief, and deadpan surrealism in an austere rural setting
The Lodge
offers atmospheric supernatural horror shaped by family trauma, folklore, and an ominous natural landscape
The Babadook
shares meditative pacing, uncanny domestic transformation, and emotionally charged human-animal imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Valdimar Jóhannsson
- Release Date
- 2021-08-12
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1089)
Cast
- Noomi Rapace
- Hilmir Snær Guðnason
- Björn Hlynur Haraldsson
- Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
- Ester Bibi
- Sigurður Elvar Viðarson
- Theodór Ingi Ólafsson
- Arnþruður Dögg Sigurðardóttir
- Gunnar Þor Karlsson
- Lára Björk Hall
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lamb about?
- On an isolated Icelandic sheep farm, a grieving couple’s miraculous new child turns domestic happiness into a haunting bargain with nature.
- What is Lamb like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lamb as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Lamb violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Lamb as moderate.
- What did critics think of Lamb?
- Critics broadly praised Lamb as an atmospheric, formally assured Icelandic folk-horror debut with an unusual premise and powerful mood, while some found its slow pace and conclusion underwhelming.
- Which films are like Lamb?
- Films with a similar feel include The Witch, The Skin I Live In, The Lodge, and The Babadook.
- How long is Lamb?
- Lamb runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lamb?
- In United States, Lamb streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
