OVID.tv Presents LAMB Review – A Boy and His Lamb

Set in the rolling hills of Ethiopia, the film is filled with shots of sun-drenched landscapes and vibrant villages. We see children running and laughing outside of a bus window; we see Ephraim and Chuni marching through a thick forest of bending, moss-covered trees, awash in a white sunlight that makes it look otherworldly. At a time when we are all in some way trapped inside, this film transports us to the lush fields and mountaintops that Ephraim traverses.

The love that Ephraim has for Chuni is at the center of Lamb.  You too will likely find it hard not to feel the intensity of it. Ephraim’s isolation and sense of entrapment within his new family, who often berate and sometimes beat him, is palpable. As he is also bullied by the children in the village, Ephraim’s sole companion is the lamb. When Ephraim sits with Chuni in his dark barn at night, or when he bemoans that it is unfair that Chuni has to sit on the top of the bus that takes him to his uncle’s house, the deep connection that Ephraim has with the animal is undeniable. Throughout the film, Chuni feels less like a pet and more like the last family member Ephraim has. The urgency with which Ephraim tries to save his beloved animal is the driving tension of the film.

A Visually Stunning OVID.tv Film

Lamb is heart-wrenching but dazzling in this writer’s view. We are brought into Ephraim’s world from the opening scene of Ephraim’s hand pressed against Chuni’s side. We remain enraptured until the last. From the center of a bustling village market to the backs of produce trucks to breathtaking mountaintops, Lamb takes us to many colorful corners of a small part of Ethiopia.

The film is touching and stunning enough to recommend to any viewer, but might be especially enjoyable for fans of foreign films that have a focus on aesthetics and nature scenes.