In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending to their sheep. Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the country’s best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although they share the land and a way of life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’s sheep, the entire valley comes under threat. The authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak. But Gummi and Kiddi don’t give up so easily – and each brother tries to stave off the disaster in his own fashion: Kiddi by using his rifle and Gummi by using his wits.
Acting
Sigurjónsson's eyes do forty years of pain without words.
Cinematography
Iceland looks beautiful and utterly indifferent to human suffering.
Writing
Dry humor so subtle you might miss it weeping.
Director
Grímur Hákonarson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The lead actors are celebrated Icelandic stage veterans who had never worked together before; their actual forty-year familiarity lent authenticity.
Director Hákonarson grew up on a sheep farm and witnessed the 1995 scrapie outbreak that devastated Icelandic flocks—this is personal, not pastoral fantasy.
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