' had a lot of paintings and photos that we basically created the story around somehow,” he said. What inspired the story? Where did the idea for the lamb-human hybrid, Ada, come from?īefore he’d conceived of the script, Jóhannsson began drawing images of lamb-human hybrid creatures in a visual book he later shared with Rapace. Warning: Spoilers about key plot points of “Lamb” follow. The Times caught up with Jóhannsson and Rapace to answer some of the lingering questions you might have after watching “Lamb.” All these elements came together to make it a dream project.” “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to come back to Iceland to reconnect with that side of myself and this movie felt like layers and layers just peeled off and I had nowhere to hide or escape. “I felt like I’ve been waiting for this film my whole life,” she said. Signing on was a quick yes for Rapace, who is Swedish but grew up in Iceland and rose to fame there.

We didn’t start writing, just talking about scenes and acting out things.” “We just decided to take time to a solid script. It took eight years to produce a finalized version of the story because “we were not in a hurry,” said Jóhannsson. Noomi Rapace brings a steady but feminine power to the dark Icelandic tale “Lamb,” about a couple raising a sheep as if it were their child. Review: Horror haunts the edges of darkly meditative Icelandic folk tale ‘Lamb’ We also had the creatures in mind when me and Sjón started working together in 2009.” “We decided from the beginning that it should be about sheep farmers. “I’m very fascinated with sheep and lambs,” he said. Its story, which blends regional Icelandic folklore with Jóhannsson’s own peculiar imaginings, was partially inspired by the director’s childhood spent with his grandparents on their sheep farm. Now playing in theaters nationwide, the film snagged the prize of originality at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. That’s the premise behind A24’s “Lamb,” director Valdimar Jóhannsson’s feature debut from a script he co-wrote with the Icelandic poet Sjón, which stars Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason.

While the birth of a mysterious creature on their remote farm seems to afford them a second chance at parenting, dark forces threaten to reclaim the source of their newfound joy. In northern Iceland, a couple struggles to move on from a devastating loss. Warning: This story contains spoilers about A24’s “Lamb.” There will be another warning before key plot points and details about the ending are divulged.

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