The Other Lamb (2019)
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A teenage girl living in a polygamist cult begins to question her leader's authority as she discovers the dark truth behind his actions.
The story
Selah is a teenage girl living in a remote forest compound governed by a polygamist cult led by a messianic figure known as the Shepherd. The community is divided into 'Sisters' and 'Wives,' and they raise sheep for food and sacrificial rituals. As Selah matures, she finds herself increasingly drawn to the Shepherd's attention while harboring questions about her mother's death. After being ordered to deliver leftovers to a secluded hut for 'unclean' women, she meets a banished Wife named Sarah. Sarah warns Selah of the Shepherd's violent tendencies, setting the stage for a journey that will test Selah's faith and resolve.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Selah lives in a remote forest compound with a polygamist cult led by the Shepherd. The group is divided into younger Sisters in blue and older Wives in red. While Selah is drawn to the Shepherd, she meets Sarah, a banished Wife who reveals that Selah's mother died of sepsis because the Shepherd refused to take her to a hospital. During a forced journey to a new home, the group experiences tragedy: a pregnant Wife dies in childbirth, and the Shepherd cruelly treats the infant. Selah's trust in the Shepherd erodes as she witnesses his violence toward others. Upon arriving at a new 'Eden,' the Shepherd rebaptizes the Sisters and chooses Selah to be with him, subjecting her to sexual assault. Following this, Selah dreams of rebellion. The next morning, the Wives are found missing. The Shepherd claims they have 'ascended,' but police later discover the Wives' bodies washed up on a lake shore and the Shepherd's body suspended between trees with ram's horns on his head. The Sisters, led by Selah, return to their original compound.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States; Ireland; Belgium
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Małgorzata Szumowska
- Writers
- Catherine Smyth-McMullen · writer; Catherine Smyth-McMullen · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Raffey Cassidy · Selah; Michiel Huisman · Shepherd; Denise Gough · Sarah; Kelly Campbell · Hannah; Eve Connolly · Adriel; Isabelle Connolly · Eloise
- Genres
- horror; coming-of-age; religious horror; independent
- Themes
- cult dynamics; gendered power structures; religious fanaticism; resiliency; narcissism
- Tone and mood
- visceral; Atwoodian; favourable
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; religious horror; cult; feminist
- Source material / true-story basis
- The short story 'The Other-faced Lamb' by Catherine Smyth-McMullen, published in Aurealis Magazine in 2015.
- Reception
- The film received generally favourable reviews, with critics praising its direction, its exploration of cult dynamics, and its depiction of resiliency.
- Production trivia
- The screenplay appeared on the 2017 Black List, Hit List and Blood List as one of the year's best unproduced scripts.; Principal photography began in County Wicklow, Ireland.; The film grossed a total of $7,385 worldwide.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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