A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn. They soon face the consequences of defying the will of nature. A film by Valdimar Jóhannsson, starring Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, and Ingvar Sigurðsson.

Sauðfjárbændurnir María og Ingvar búa í fögrum en afskekktum dal. Þegar dularfull vera fæðist á bóndabænum ákveða þau að halda henni og ala upp sem sitt eigið afkvæmi. Vonin um nýja fjölskyldu færir þeim mikla hamingju um stund, hamingju sem verður þeim síðar að tortímingu.

María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) live together on a farm in the isolated depths of rural Iceland. The time is Christmas according to the announcement on the radio with Christmas music, but there’s no traditional festivities nor customary decorations in the house. They barely speak to each other, we don’t see any smile on their faces. It feels like they’re on a stage of grief but they never say or explain their situation.

One day, a pregnant sheep has given birth to a baby sheep. From the facial expressions of María and Ingvar, they look really surprised when they see this baby sheep for the first time. María takes the baby sheep into their house and places it in a basin. Later, Ingvar finds an old cradle in the storage and put it in their bedroom. They decide to raise the sheep as their baby and name it Ada.

Mother sheep misses her baby, she frequently stands outside the couple’s bedroom making weird noises. María tries to ignore but when she finds Ada with her real mother on the hill after Ada goes missing, she fears Ada will be taken away from her. María secretly kills Ada’s mother. Ingvar’s brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) arrives at the farmhouse unannounced and witnesses the killing, he then sleeps in the barn and shows himself in the next morning.

Pétur is horrified when the couple introduces Ada to him, treating the sheep as their own child. He decides to speak about this abnormality with his brother, but Ingvar immediately dismissed his concern and forbids Pétur to interfere with his family.

DÝRIÐ is a directorial debut film from Icelandic director Valdimar Jóhannsson who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón. This film gives a vibe of European style narrative. Everything moves quietly and slowly through virtually stunning landscapes with almost no dialogue in the first half of the film. Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason elevate the level of suspense with their amazing performances. I love how the film reveals so little about the new member of the family which makes us feel like there must be something wrong with the baby sheep, but we can only just keep guessing.

The director chose to keep the backstory of the couple hidden until later in film to explain why they behave the way they do. It might help us to engage more in their decisions if we know the reason from the beginning.

The film magnificently blends supernatural and folklore with original concept taking us on the journey of grief, parenthood, suffering, and selfishness. DÝRIÐ probably isn’t a film for everyone, it’s a unique experience which makes us crave for more.

DÝRIÐ premiered at Festival de Cannes on July 13, 2021 and received Prix de L’Originalité (Prize of Originality) in Un Certain Regard section. The film was theatrically released in Iceland on September 24, 2021.

A24 acquired North American distribution rights to the film, and released under English title LAMB on October 8, 2021. A24 also hosted one-night-only virtual screening on October 26, 2021.