This is I believe the first movie from Iceland that I saw. And it takes one to a very different atmosphere. That of farmers in the cold Icelandic conditions. The setting in the movie is great both with it's beauty and by contributing to the mood of the movie. It is a very depressing and grey movie but it has some special strength and beauty about it.

The main actors do an amazing job by doing very realistic acting. One feels like one is really watching farmers living their daily lives and during a crisis. They show their emotions in a very unforced and raw way.

The story and how much they need their sheep is an important piece that adds to the characters and the depth of their story. We see the love these men have for the animals and what a big part of their life it is.

The ending is a very special scene, it ends in an abrupt way but the story that they were telling us is told to the end without us missing anything.

'RAMS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

An Icelandic drama about two estranged sheep farming brothers, that are forced to deal with a tragic infection; which wipes out both of their flocks. The film was written and directed by Grimur Hakonarson. It stars Sigurour Sigurjonsson and Theodor Juliusson. The movie's received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it's also won a few prestigious awards. I found it to be a little too slow-paced, but it is somewhat touching (especially if you're an animal lover).

Gummi (​​Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Juliusson) are two sheep farming brothers in Iceland. They haven't talked to each other in over forty years, despite the fact that they live across from each other. When one of their flocks is infected by a deadly infection, called scrapie, all of the sheep in the area have to be killed (in order to avoid re-infection). One brother decides to hide some of his (seemingly) uninfected sheep; and the two decide to work together, for the first time in several years, in order to protect them.

The movie is beautifully shot, and it's filled with decent performances. I don't feel like I got to know the brothers that well, but I still ended up caring about them; and I especially cared about their sheep. Although the movie doesn't go into great detail, about the two brothers' lives (or their past relationship),you can tell that they really cared about their sheep. So I definitely cared about them.

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Just a week ago I saw 'Fúsi' which was about an overweight person with the mind of a child. And now another excellent Icelandic movie that centres on the livestock farmers. One of the best movie about the farmers I have seen. It is not all about their farms, but the love and dedication towards their work. About the art of raising animals that passed through the generations who never abandoned their ancestral village to look for a better life somewhere else. But what happens when suddenly a great threat pose to their way of life that they all only known. That's what this film talk about.

This story is about two brothers Gummi and Kiddi, who have not spoken for decades. They live next door to one another in a remote village raising sheep. When one theirs ram wins a prestigious regional contest, that lead to discover a fear of scrapie epidemic, a disease that might wipe out their local breeds. After this incident, the conflict between the brothers escalates further. So what happens after the entire village lose their business to a viral infection brings a dramatic ending to the story.

This is the advantage of watching world cinemas. You will get a chance to learn a different culture and other unfamiliar stuffs. Nowadays Hollywood is about big budget and superhero movies. Small scale films like this are very occasion, but I'm missing nothing through my love to films around the globe.

I love realism films, but still this film gives a cinematic experience with the beautiful interior landscapes of Iceland. Most of the film takes place in the winter, but all the important outdoor sequences came prior to that season. Still the second half is the best part of the storytelling. After all Iceland without ice/snow is unimaginable.

"If we've scrapie in the valley, we're screwed."

The story has a small twist in the halfway mark, that you could see it coming. But the third act was so awesome, because the pace picks up and brings the unexpected ending. Yet, I was little disappointed the way it concluded. I like the details, I don't always like understandable phrase in a film's ending. Those things are effective for the movies that going have a sequel. So what I meant is the end should have been a bit more specific about what actually happens. If it is about the brothers, not the livestock, then the theme is slightly misleading with all the developments.

I was tempted to rate it close to maximum, like as I said the finale took away the fractions of my 'like' towards this wonderful drama. The lead actor from the 'Virgin Mountain' can be seen in a tiny role in a couple of scenes.

I've heard the ram that acted in this called Garpur was credited, but it was not like any special performance. The movie was very slow, but I like this kind of narration when a story demands its own time to bring anything it wanted to tell on its own perfect way. There are scenes with some dark humours, so it is a semi tragicomedy.

The initial parts, maybe the first act looks like an ordinary rural narration, but if you learn about the story and its character prior to your watch then you might feel comfortable with the pace. This film was sent to the recently concluded Oscars to represent Iceland, but failed to make into the ultimate round. Forget the American Academy Awards, this is still an excellent movie. I won't hesitate to suggest it to you all, it is a dull start, but you would feel worth watching it in the end.

8/10