The Other Lamb is another wonderful film to add to the feminist canon. It is a slow-burn that slithers under your skin and lives with you way after the credits roll. Raffey Cassidy’s performance is the standout here, although Michiel Huisman and Denise Gough deliver strong supporting performances as well.
“…a dream-like quality that is propelled by the gorgeous locations…”
Director Malgorzata Szumowska’s film slyly pokes at the problems of the patriarchy through the microcosm of the cult. Shepherd can be seen as a mascot for our male-dominated society and the daughters and wives as women who decide to eventually buck the system. However, The Other Lamb is far more complex than that, as we see Selah go from complacent to questioning to downright outraged, all through subtle visual clues. The film is generally quiet and floats at a languid pace, with occasional spikes of unexpected violence and trauma. It has a dream-like quality that is propelled by the gorgeous locations and Michal Englert’s excellent cinematography.
Please check out The Other Lamb if you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale or any other feminist films and TV shows. The film is both written and directed by women and shows how strong women might behave if put into dire straits such as those where Selah resides. It’s dreamy, spooky, and altogether inspiring. It shows that enough is enough, and time is indeed up, and we’ll topple toxic masculinity once and for all someday, one charismatic Christ-complex jerk at a time.
"…slyly pokes at the problems of the patriarchy through the microcosm of the cult."
