POINTS: 8
Imagine two neighbouring farms in a very isolated and magnificent rural landscape in Iceland. Though they live right next to each other, two old estranged brothers, unmarried and childless, haven’t spoken to one another in 40 years. They are both shepherds and very proud of the ancient pedigree they breed. You could say they are actually in love with their rams. In fact, the rams are all the family they’ve got.
Gummi (Sigurdur Sigurjonsson), the younger brother, is hard-working, respectful, and calm while Kiddi (Theodor Juliusson), the older one, is ill-tempered, trigger-happy, and a heavy drinker. If it weren’t because they sort of look alike, you wouldn’t know they were brothers. Each year they enter a competition for best ram and this year it so happens that a ram owned by Kiddi turns out to be the winner, much to Gummi’s dismay. The fact that Kiddi’s ram won for a difference of half a point makes it all the more irritating.
However, the tragedy about to unfold has nothing to do with brotherhood issues. There are early signs of an incurable brain disease known as scrapie that is infecting the animals. And once the local authorities confirm it, all sheep in the valley must be slaughtered. Emotionally and economically, the farmers are shattered. As for Kiddi and Gummi, let’s say they don’t take the news in the best of ways. Yes, they will have to come together to save their sheep, but in so doing they will also trigger an unfortunate chain of events.
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Festival, Rams is written and directed by Grimur Hakonarson, a seasoned documentary maker (better known for the art-house comedy Summerland) and you can see his gifted eye for observing and describing in the way he renders the raw, realistic beauty of the landscapes of his homeland — which brings to mind Icelander Benedikt Erlingsson’s Of Horses and Men, another art-house favourite. Hakonarson is assisted by no less than cinematographer Sturla Brandth (the man behind the superb 138 minute-single take of Victoria), who resorts to the wonders of natural lighting as he crafts an eye-catching palette of cold and somewhat dark browns, blues, and greys, while he also focuses on alluring textures.
But beside these undeniable formal values, the main triumph of Rams lies in its drama and its tone alongside the performances. It would’ve been relatively easy to go for strict and always reliable drama, or for formulaic comedy, or for mere costumbrism. However, Hakonarson opts to go the way of genre crossbreeding and so he creates a much more interesting art work, one that pushes boundaries.
Think of Rams as a film that begins in the vein of affable costumbrism, occasionally peppered with some sardonic humour, then it smoothly switches to a very personal drama, only to later on enter the realm of tragedy. At the same time, every now and then, absurdism surfaces to outstanding effect. Such genre shifts are achieved seamlessly, in part thanks to the smart screenplay and to the faultlessly timed editing, but most of all because of a subdued, quietly restrained overall tone that glues the film together.
And then there are the actors. First, Sigurjonsson takes centre stage as Gummi. It’s he who establishes the point of view of the narrative and sets up the humanistic feeling. Then, after a certain plot point, Juliusson, that is to say Kiddi, becomes the protagonist and he gives the film new brio. In any case, both of them show a range that makes the drama all the more compelling. Considering that dear rams are involved, this cannot be an ordinary siblings’ relationship. And yet you’re bound to relate to it in unexpected ways.
Production notes
Rams / Hrútar (Iceland, 2015) Written and directed by Grimur Hakonarson. With Sigurdur Sigurjonsson, Theodor Juliusson, Charlotte Boving, Gunnar Jonsson, Porleifur Einarsson. Cinematography: Sturla Brandth Grovlen. Editing: Kristjan Lodmfjord. Running time: 93 minutes.
@pablsuarez
