This stunningly moving tale of two estranged sheep farmer brothers who are willing to put their differences aside for the sake of their flock puts wry humor, sibling rivalry, and the breathtaking beauty of the Icelandic landscape front and center.
Although they live in a tiny rural farming village and share the same passion — their precious sheep — brothers Kiddi and Gummi haven’t spoken to one another in four decades. When it appears that both of their farms are threatened by disease that would wipe out all neighboring flocks as well — and, in turn, the town’s livelihood and sense of identity — the two are forced to come together and confront the deeply rooted issues that drove them apart to begin with. Bolstered by the pitch-perfect performances and famously beautiful Icelandic landscape, Rams finds an engrossing, nuanced, and surprisingly funny story in the most unassuming of places and seemingly quotidian of moments. Winner of the prestigious Un Certain Regard in Cannes this year, Rams is at once an exceptional piece of cinema and a realist portrait of life’s unexpected, sometimes-tragic, sometimes-comic shifts.
DIRECTOR: Grímur Hákonarson CAST: Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving LANGUAGE: Icelandic COUNTRY: Iceland YEAR: 2015 LENGTH: 93 min
