"Maria had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Maria had a little lamb
It's fleece was white as snow

Everywhere that Maria went
Maria went, Maria went
Everywhere that Maria went
The lamb was sure to go"

This is what happens when you choose to live deliciously, fam!

I have no idea if the intent was to be funny, but I laughed out loud more during this film than most comedies I've watched this year. It's not really horror at all even though the trailers apparently made it seem that way. The premise itself could be considered somewhat horrific, until you see how the couple handle it. Instead, there is a constant air of foreboding that doesn't really pay off in a satisfying way and the script fumbles an opportunity to explore some folklore and/or religious mythology in a much more interesting way.

That being said, despite the incredibly slow burn, I was engaged with this simply because it's such a weird idea and I wanted to see how it turned out. It's impossible not to be transfixed by what you see every time that Ada is on the screen. It never feels quite right and yet by the end there's a comforting familiarity about it all. Like most A24 produced films, "Lamb" is also gorgeous to look at. The landscapes are beautiful and there is some really solid cinematography to go along with a handful of images that will be seared into your memory. There's probably some interesting conversation to be had about how this portrays grief and parenthood, though it certainly stays surface-level and doesn't go as deep as I expected. That keeps the film from being special, but it's still a spectacularly fascinating must-see because nowhere else are you going to have this one-of-kind story experience.

2021 Awards Cycle Ranked

Click here to listen to my spoiler-free discussion on Feelin' Film Podcast