Five Inspirations is a series in which we ask directors to share five things that shaped and informed their film. Valdimar Jóhannsson's Lamb is showing exclusively on MUBI in many countries starting February 25, 2022 in the series Debuts.
INSPIRATION #1
Anguish (1879) by August Friedrich Albrecht Schenck
This is one of the paintings that inspired me from the very beginning. It is quite a dramatic painting and tells not only the story of motherhood but also the story of how nature can both give and take. It is quite dramatic and brings up many thoughts and stories.
INSPIRATION #2
Filmzenék Tarr Béla Filmjeihez by Mihály Víg
While thinking about, writing, and preparing Lamb, I would listen to this soundtrack over and over again. It is somehow the familiarity of the repetition of life.
INSPIRATION #3
The Good Shepherd by Gunnar Gunnarsson
This is a well-known novel in Icelandic literature, very much Man v.s. Nature. Man uniting with animals in his hopeless fight against nature and his close connection to animals. It is a very big inspiration for me.
INSPIRATION #4
Border
The documentary Border (2009) by Harutyun Khachatryan about the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, which a buffalo plays the main role.
INSPIRATION #5
Aleksandra Waliszewska
Aleksandra Waliszewska’s paintings have been an endless source of inspiration. She draws lots of cats and in each of her paintings there is an untold story.