''Lamb'' is an American drama film, written and directed by
Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.
His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...
. The film was adapted from the novel of the same name, by
Bonnie Nadzam. The film stars
Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.
His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...
,
Oona Laurence
Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Matilda Wormwood in ''Matilda'' on Broadway alongside Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, and Sophia Gennusa. She began her career as a New York City-based ch ...
,
Jess Weixler
Jess Weixler (born ) is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy-horror film ''Teeth'' and Jordan in the comedy ''The Big Bad Swim''.
Early life
Weixler graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, wh ...
and
Tom Bower
Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. He is known for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorised biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper pr ...
.
The film had its world premiere at the
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
film festival on March 14, 2015.
The film was released in a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on January 8, 2016, before being released through
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
on January 12, 2016 by
The Orchard
The Orchard may refer to:
* The Orchard (company), American music and entertainment company
* The Orchard (band), Canadian country music duo
* ''The Orchard'' (Lizz Wright album), 2008
* ''The Orchard'' (Ra Ra Riot album), 2010
* The Orchard (t ...
.
Plot
The film opens with David Lamb (
Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.
His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...
) visiting his sick and dying father Walter Lamb (Ron Burkhardt). After visiting his father, David goes to his motel room, where he is currently living. David's father dies. After attending his father's burial, David ends up in a parking lot "in a particularly depressed-looking corner of Chicago," smoking, where Tommie (
Oona Laurence
Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Matilda Wormwood in ''Matilda'' on Broadway alongside Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, and Sophia Gennusa. She began her career as a New York City-based ch ...
) is sent by her friends to ask David for a cigarette. When asked, David gives her a cigarette, and Tommie shows him her friends. David decides to scare her friends by pretending to kidnap her. He tries to prove a point to her and brings her home.
Back at David's work his boss, Wilson (
Joel Murray
Joel Murray (born April 17, 1963) is an American comedy actor. He is well known for his roles in the television series ''Mad Men'', ''Grand'', '' Love & War'', ''Dharma & Greg'', '' Still Standing'', and '' Shameless''. He has also appeared in f ...
) gives David his condolences, and insists that David take some time off work. Linny (
Jess Weixler
Jess Weixler (born ) is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy-horror film ''Teeth'' and Jordan in the comedy ''The Big Bad Swim''.
Early life
Weixler graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, wh ...
) and David make passionate love in the office stairwell, after which David tells Linnie he is going away to his property in the country for a while to clear his head. David runs into Tommie at the parking lot, gives his name as "Gary" and offers to buy her lunch. Back at Tommie's home, her mother Linda (
Lindsay Pulsipher
Lindsay Pulsipher (born May 6, 1979) is an American actress. She has had several roles in film and television and is known for her series regular role as Rose Lawrence on A&E Network's '' The Beast'' (2009). She joined the third season of HBO's ...
), and her mother's boyfriend Jesse (
Scoot McNairy
John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in ''Monsters'', ''Argo'', ''Killing Them Softly'', '' 12 Years a Slave'', '' Gone Girl'', and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of J ...
), ask where she has been. The next day, Tommie and David hang out again; David asks Tommie to go on a camping trip for a week. He tells her he would bring her back before any one would start to worry. At a hotel, David tells Tommie he wants her to think if she really wants to stay, or go back home. He tells her this might look like a
kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
due to their age differences so she can leave at any time. Tommie decides to stay.
At a truck stop, Melissa (
Jennifer Lafleur
Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and ''6 Years'' (2015). On television, Lafl ...
) sees Tommie crying. Tommie lies and says her name is "Emily." Tommie tells David she wants to go home; he tells her he could take her home, like he said he would earlier. The next day, David and Tommie hang out by a lake. While there at the lake, Foster (Tom Bower), a neighbor of theirs at the cabin, tells the two of them that they are on private property. David lies easily, telling him he's with his niece Emily (aka Tommie). Returning from the mountains, Tommie asks David if she could have a
root beer
Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree ''Sassafras albidum'' or the vine of ''Smilax ornata'' (known as sarsaparilla, also used to make a soft drink, Sarsaparilla (soft drink ...
; David asks Tommie to get him a
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
; she asks if she can have some of the beer, and he agrees she can have one sip of it. Foster walks into the room, where he sees Tommie holding the beer. David pretends to yell at "Emily", sends her out of the room and apologizes to Foster about what happened. Foster warns David there are unfriendly neighbors nearby who don't like kids. One morning, David notices a car approaching the cabin; he hides Tommie in a closet and tells her not to be seen. The car turns out to be driven by Linny, who came to give David company.
David tells Tommie to run to the 'shop' (a back part of the cabin) quietly as she can. Later that night, Tommie asks David why Linny called him "David" instead of "Gary". He tells her, it's to "protect her/us". While David is talking to Tommie one morning, Linny walks in, and almost catches Tommie. Linny tells David she's going to get mattresses from the other room; David lies, since Tommie is hiding in that room, by telling her a fake ghost story about "Emily". Tommie is seen running from the cabin, to Foster's house. She returns to the outside of cabin and through the window witnesses David and Linny having sex. David notices that Tommie is watching. Outside the house, David/Gary holds Tommie/Emily and tells her a secret - that his younger brother left home and disappeared when he was very young, never coming home again. He makes her promise not to tell anyone, and to always call him "Gary."
Next morning Tommie walks into the cabin living room and calls Gary's name. Linny awakes with fright and wakes David (aka Gary) who claims that the girl is "Emily" who has been sick and has been staying here because of it. As Linny goes to drive away upset, David lies to her that "Emily" is the child of his brother who died and Linny says "you never told me that." He pleads with her to be patient with him but she drives off.
David tells Tommie they are going to head back home. In a motel on the way back he breaks down and cries, saying that Tommie will forget him as she grows older. She put hers hand on his shoulder and says "I won't." Once they arrive at their hometown, the two emotionally say goodbye. They will not see each other again, but he tells her he will leave signs, like a broken window, or a ribbon tied in a strange place so she'll know he's been around, and that when she closes her eyes and remembers the wind and the rain from their trip, she will be like an apple tree standing in the ashes of all the houses in her city.
The film ends with Tommie chasing after David as he drives away.
Cast
*
Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.
His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...
as David Lamb
*
Oona Laurence
Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Matilda Wormwood in ''Matilda'' on Broadway alongside Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, and Sophia Gennusa. She began her career as a New York City-based ch ...
as Tommie
*
Jess Weixler
Jess Weixler (born ) is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy-horror film ''Teeth'' and Jordan in the comedy ''The Big Bad Swim''.
Early life
Weixler graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, wh ...
as Linny
*
Tom Bower
Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. He is known for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorised biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper pr ...
as Foster
*
Scoot McNairy
John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in ''Monsters'', ''Argo'', ''Killing Them Softly'', '' 12 Years a Slave'', '' Gone Girl'', and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of J ...
as Jesse
*
Lindsay Pulsipher
Lindsay Pulsipher (born May 6, 1979) is an American actress. She has had several roles in film and television and is known for her series regular role as Rose Lawrence on A&E Network's '' The Beast'' (2009). She joined the third season of HBO's ...
as Linda
*
Jennifer Lafleur
Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and ''6 Years'' (2015). On television, Lafl ...
as Melissa
*
Joel Murray
Joel Murray (born April 17, 1963) is an American comedy actor. He is well known for his roles in the television series ''Mad Men'', ''Grand'', '' Love & War'', ''Dharma & Greg'', '' Still Standing'', and '' Shameless''. He has also appeared in f ...
as Wilson
* Ron Burkhardt as Walter Lamb
Production
In July 2014, it was announced that
Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.
His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...
would be directing, starring, and writing the film, from Bonnie Nadzam's novel ''Lamb'', with
Mel Eslyn
Mel Eslyn (born August 19, 1983) is an American film producer, director and writer. She works primarily in the Seattle independent film industry and has collaborated with Lynn Shelton and Mark and Jay Duplass on numerous films. She is best know ...
and Taylor Williams producing, with
Jennifer Lafleur
Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and ''6 Years'' (2015). On television, Lafl ...
co-producing.
That same day, it was announced that
Oona Laurence
Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Matilda Wormwood in ''Matilda'' on Broadway alongside Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, and Sophia Gennusa. She began her career as a New York City-based ch ...
had been cast portraying the role of Tommie, and
Jess Weixler
Jess Weixler (born ) is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy-horror film ''Teeth'' and Jordan in the comedy ''The Big Bad Swim''.
Early life
Weixler graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, wh ...
had also joined the film.
Partridge later revealed in an interview with ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' he wanted to adapt the film immediately while reading the book.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on June 19, 2014, in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, with additional filming taking place in
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern ...
.
Production on the film lasted 18 days and concluded on July 9, 2014.
Jennifer Lafleur
Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and ''6 Years'' (2015). On television, Lafl ...
revealed in an interview that all her scenes in the film were shot in a single day.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the film, titled ''Lamb: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', featuring the original score by Daniel Berlardinelli, was released via
digital download on January 8, 2016, by
MovieScore Media
MovieScore Media is a Swedish record label devoted to original film scores, founded in 2005 by former film music journalist Mikael Carlsson. The label has produced over 500 soundtrack albums, focusing primarily on scores composed by up and coming ...
.
Marketing
In November 2015, the first poster for the film was released. In December 2015, the trailer for the film was released exclusively by Apple Trailers. That same month, a clip from the film was released exclusively by Indiewire.com. In January 2016, TheFilmStage.com released another clip from the film.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
on March 14, 2015.
The film went screen at the
Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...
,
The
Montclair Film Festival
Montclair Film is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit most well known for organizing the annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF) usually held in late April, early May in Montclair, New Jersey. The festival showcases new works from American and inter ...
.
The
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...
.
and the
Torino Film Festival
The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...
. Shortly after, it was announced
The Orchard
The Orchard may refer to:
* The Orchard (company), American music and entertainment company
* The Orchard (band), Canadian country music duo
* ''The Orchard'' (Lizz Wright album), 2008
* ''The Orchard'' (Ra Ra Riot album), 2010
* The Orchard (t ...
had acquired distribution rights to the film.
The film was released in a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on January 8, 2016, prior to being released through
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
on January 12, 2016.
Critical reception
''Lamb'' received positive reviews from film critics. It holds an 86% "Fresh" rating on review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film holds a rating of 64 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Justin Chang of ''
Variety.com'' gave the film a positive review, writing: "Partridge navigates risky material with assurance, delicacy and a deepening sense of intimacy that can turn, without warning, into complicity: The more at ease we feel in the characters’ company, the more disturbingly questionable the situation becomes. Superbly shot and movingly acted, especially by young Oona Laurence, this arthouse-ready item should prove a potent conversation-starter at festivals, where even naysayers may be hard pressed to deny the film’s cumulative emotional impact."
Kimber Myers of ''The Playlist'' on ''
Indiewire.com
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holly ...
'' gave the film a positive review, writing: "What’s interesting about “Lamb” is that it doesn’t stand in judgment of its protagonist; it neither condemns him for what are undeniably bad and illegal choices, nor does it celebrate them either. Though not always successful, this is a complicated film that should cause its audience to continue to think about its characters and the actions they take."
References
External links
*
*
*{{Metacritic film
2015 films
2015 drama films
2015 independent films
American drama films
American independent films
Films based on American novels
The Orchard (company) films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films