RAMS
12:30 2:30 4:45 7:00 9:10
Final Day - Tuesday, February 16
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY GRÍMUR HÁKONARSON
Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion stories are peopled with dryly humorous bachelor-farmers of Scandinavian descent. Their relatives might easily be found in this drama of two Icelandic brothers who raise prize-winning rams, and have lived side-by-side without talking to one another for 40 years. Each man is determined to save his flock from the fatal disease that is decimating their animals. These are men who caress the faces of their sheep and call them “my dear girl,” but who aren’t about to give an inch either to the authorities or to one another. The humor here is dark -- flecked with driving snow, wind, and potential violence. Without a conventional romance in sight, it’s a story of clashing passions: love and loyalty versus anger and obstinacy. A movie that delves deeply into the mystery of the human animal.
ICELAND • 2015 • 93 MINS. • IN ICELANDIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
A COHEN MEDIA GROUP RELEASE
Reviews
WINNER! Un Certain Regard Prize
2015 Cannes Film Festival
“CRITIC’S PICK. Tender and poignant…(with) the haunting authority of an ancient stone carving.”
– A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“A marvel of deadpan comedy with an improbably beautiful climax.”
– Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
“4 STARS. CRITICS’ PICK. This low-key charmer of a movie packs an unexpected
emotional punch.”
– Wendy Ide, Time Out NY
“Funny and affecting. (A) wry yet combustible comedy of orneriness, wedded to striking
remote landscapes. Unexpectedly transforms from comedy to something far more poignant.”
– Mike D’Angelo, A.V. Club
“An involving, at times curiously exciting film. Quietly riveting.”
– Matt Zoller-Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“Mixes drollness and pathos. A compact quasi-comedic thriller.
Every moment in (this) strange and wonderful film is imbued with mystery and revealing dignity.”
- Chuck Bowen, Slant
“A touching humanist drama… Hákonarson mines moments of wonderfully wry comedy in this
tale of sheep and men. [He] lovingly captures a deeply rooted rural culture that is closely connected to the Icelandic national spirit.”
– Alissa Simon, Variety
“A gentle, near-absurdist comedy. A skillfully told tale. Brings to life a most peculiar
sibling relationship.”
– Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
“An accomplished and original work…(with) captivating charm.”
– Allan Hunter, Screen Daily