Item: The Other Lamb
Rating: 4
Author: Lance Vlcek

Last Updated on March 8, 2023

PLOT: A young woman born into a cult begins to question her faith when forced to endure a long, yet scenic hike. Wait. What?

LOWDOWN: I wasn’t sure what to expect from THE OTHER LAMB. I’ve always been fascinated with cults and their power to subvert susceptible minds, but there is a way to do it right, aka MIDSOMMAR. Or you screw up and stumble your way to the finish line like THE OTHER LAMB. I came in with no expectations, but the first fifteen minutes offered up enough intrigue to warrant watching more. We get a stoic father figure with Michael Huisman’s Shepherd. He’s a calm but menacing man that has immense control over everyone and everything. There are eccentric rituals and an eerie sense that the shit is about to hit the fan. Okay, you got me. The pieces were all in place. I was prepped up for a hefty left hook. Only a director who takes pride in mediocrity would fail to capitalize on such a setup. And….. here we are. This entire film is building tension without any payoff.

Selah’s journey is from devout daughter to questioning, self-aware woman. The point is for us, the audience, to see the injustices of this all-female cult and cheer on Selah for seeing through the charade. Except nothing in this journey makes me believe in her transformation. I believe the homeless more when they tell me that they need change to get to the hospital to see their children. Since we aren’t given much to go on in terms of mythos, I have to take everything in this story at face value. The only conflict is that the commune must relocate because they are living on land they don’t own. Is it private or public? Not sure, but they need to leave, and it seems like the long hike is the breaking point for our protagonist. This change of heart comes out of left field and is awkward enough to make you think a part of the film is missing. This isn’t a student film, right? What’s going on here?

Instead of fleshing out any motivation that would help the audience along, we instead get vague and tense shots of Selah accompanied by a spooky string section. The music is fitting and works well, but half of this film is haunting music cues over static shots that go nowhere. It builds with the purpose of kicking things into high gear only to cut to the following day—nothing to see here, I guess. Rinse and repeat, and you have a 90-minute film that isn’t as powerful as it wants to be. The Shepherd is a jerk, but he doesn’t seem to change in a manner that would lead to a revelation for Selah or anyone else. His ego has been the same, and his methods are consistent, but because the story needs to happen, we get a black sheep transformation that makes no sense.

THE OTHER LAMB is, first and foremost, an art-house film. It’s slow-paced, deliberately vague, and chock full of dreamy imagery. And yet the film couldn’t muster up anything substantial. A slower pace usually means you can develop the threat or expand on the mythology. Not here. The biggest obstacle to overcome was the relocation of their camp. Changing my flat tire is more of a roller coaster of emotion. Finding toilet paper during the Coronavirus quarantine is more of a nail-biter. Give me something, anything. The great irony here is that I can get down with some pretentious and condescending films. I loved the kitchen sink method of MOTHER and was fully invested in the nightmare hellscape of ANTICHRIST. Yet THE OTHER LAMB couldn’t reach the desperation of Lars Von Trier or take me on the mushroom trip of Aronofsky.

The majority of this film is just our main protagonist, Selah, staring into the camera while it ominously zooms in. After the sixth zoom, I pulled out some Venezuelan rum and decided to turn it into a drinking game. I kept thinking that the story was going to have a significant twist or some big event to explain the useless meandering plot, but no. Again, nothing. What lasted an hour and a half could have been condensed down to a forty-minute short. Even then, it’s not enough story to develop anything worthwhile, but it would have gotten to the point quicker. The cult leader’s a bad guy. Great. Cue the music and roll the credits.

It’s not all terrible, and there are a few things that worked quite well. The cast is excellent, and acting-wise, everyone knocks it out of the park. Michael Huisman is very believable as Shepherd, the would-be Christ. Yeah, it’s not very subtle, but people love a good allegory. Raffey Cassidy emotes like a pro, and with a better script, she could have done wonders. The cinematography is perfect, with the Irish landscape being the best part of the film. Everything looks great, and since most of the film is walking, you can really appreciate the wide-sweeping shots. It’s a small miracle to get any film made, and when one looks as good as this and is filled with such talented actors, I wonder what happened to the script?

GORE: Gore isn’t what this movie is going for but we’re treated to some menstrual blood and a dead lamb. Hell, I’m not even sure a decapitation or burning at the stake would have saved this disaster.

BOTTOM LINE: THE OTHER LAMB will be divisive. I can see a lot of people hating this as I did. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it gained a big following with the art crowd either. Love what you love, but nothing worked for me narratively. This film is the ninety-minute equivalent of patting yourself on the back. The themes of empowerment, family, and womanhood have been done far better with more competent scripts, ala LA LLORONA, MIDSOMMAR, or THE HANDMAID’S TALE. I tried to like this, but in the end, I felt nothing. All I can do is recommend that you take a drink every time there’s a zoom in the film. At least your hangover will have more of a lasting impression.