The setting is often a powerful force in a movie and this is certainly the case in ‘Rams’, set in a small rural town in Iceland. The local economy and community identity revolve around sheep. When scrapie is diagnosed among one of the flocks, it spells ruin for everyone, including two estranged brothers. Although they live next door to each other, conscious at all times of each other’s movements, they have not spoken for decades. The bleak, unforgiving environment is an unlikely but memorable setting for an unexpected love story.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 
Not a propos, but I have just been to see Pawno, an ode to Barkly St, Footscray, a sort of minimalist Fellini’s Roma. Highly recommended!
I read some reviews about this, and I was a bit wary of it, thinking that it sounded a bit like Housos, which I definitely don’t enjoy. Was it like Housos?
I had to google Housos, but NO, nothing like, no bogans, no ugg boots. This is a gritty, funny, arty, druggy (not a lot of drugs) movie.
That’s reassuring. I’ll put it onto my list of ‘possibles’ when I’m deciding what to go to next.
Thank you! I love films like this – no gangsters, guns or violent chase scenes, just humans and their dramas in Iceland.
Would you believe I saw this twice last week? I nearly decided to write it up but time got the better of me. A really beautifully made film with complex morality/ethics, gorgeous photography, wonderful music, and a clever ending. And, it’s not too long.
Saw it twice? How come?
By accident really. One Tuesday a month I do a movie-lunch outing with a friend, and she chose RAMS though I suspected, as indeed happened, that our every-Thursday movie friends would want to see it that week too. I couldn’t guarantee they hadn’t seen it though and I really didn’t want to miss it. Better to see it twice than not at all I decided! I wasn’t sorry. It was good second time around.
Every Thursday! Heavens, you’re as cinema-matized as I am!
Haha, yes, once the kids grew up we used to do every Sunday afternoon (in fits and starts) but have been doing every Thursday for a few years now with friends (but again there are gaps when we travel or, in our case, have a Musica Viva Concert!)