Rams

Drama

In a remote Icelandic farming valley, two brothers who haven't spoken in 40 years have to come together in order to save what's dearest to them - their sheep.

The critical consensus

Absurd but affectionate Icelandic dramedy that puts the celebration of sheep at its centre.

(*) Emma Simmonds, The List, 01/02/2016

Switching from dour humour to humanist drama without seeming contrived, this is a masterclass in combining character and landscape that is played with deceptive poignancy by the excellent leads.

(*) David Parkinson, Empire Online, 29/01/2016

Two curmudgeonly sheep farmers are faced with the destruction of their flock in rural Iceland in a perfectly pitched film hovering between absurdity and tragedy.

(*) Leslie Felperin, The Guardian, 04/02/2016

You wouldn't expect a film about the everyday problems of Icelandic sheep farmers to have the intensity and deadpan humour found in Grímur Hákonarson's wonderfully idiosyncratic and moving Cain and Abel-style saga.

(*) Geoffrey MacNab, The Independent, 04/02/2016

Deadpan comedy and a sense of compassion mark this as a film to seek out and treasure.

(*) Allan Hunter, Daily Express, 05/02/2016

Feuding brothers, chilly vistas and sickly sheep provide the perfect premise for this darkly comedic Icelandic saga.

(*) Mark Kermode, The Observer, 07/02/2016

(*) (*) Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 08/02/2016