Michael Cox’s review published on Letterboxd:
"Ada is a gift." - Ingvar
See where it ranks among my top films of 2021!
A24 Ranked
Ultimately, this was more of a fairy tale rather than a horror film like some have stated. It's monotonous to the point we are literally watching some plain old sheep farmers go about their lives. It's not a toxic couple either, so there's no drama there. The most drama comes when an unexpected appearance from the husband's (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) brother (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) and he tries to upset the order there. There's also some drama with the sheep mother, but that doesn't go as far as expected.
But in the air, there's something more. There's an air of melancholy that's prevalent throughout the film. Somber attitudes reign supreme. Grief shrouds the couples' judgement and it leads to dire consequences for everyone.
Noomi Rapace (Maria) delivers a strong performance as expected and the same can be said for Hilmir Snær Guðnason (Ingvar). But there's a certain sheep in here, that did not expect to perform so well. I wonder how they did it. Did they CGI their face? Did they train it well? How did they do it?!
Don't go in expecting a surreal, quirky and intense horror film because this is not that. It sure had its moments, but not really. And its monotonous pacing can really be a turn off for some.
It's an A24 film, that's all I'll really say.
EDIT: The ending unexpectedly hit me hard. Like I started getting emotional and stuff. Good stuff.
3.25/5
