The Other Lamb

I am against many things in this world, especially pedophiles and men who abuse women. I can honestly say that i would not mind burning all pedophiles alive, and feel no shame in saying that. If you sexually abuse a child, you should suffer with pain, and have no legal rights. Some might say i am cruel saying so, that they should die in pain. But in my eyes they don´t deserve anything at all, just to be burned alive. With that said there is especially one issue that i have studied a lot about over the years, through books, documentary films and newspaper stories. And that is religious cults, that we can find all over the world. There are a lot of religious cults out there in history, and i could easily talk about many of them. But i decided to pick out especially one religious cult that made world news when President Warren Jeffs of the FLDS Church, was arrested in 2006, after the truth came out about him having sexually abused children. In 2011, Warren Jeffs was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assaults, wich he is currently serving a life sentence plus twenty years. Warren Jeffs is a perfect example of a religious cult leader, who sexually abused children and manipulated church members to do what he wanted. There are several interesting documentaries about FLDS, where they also talk about Warren Jeffs. One that you can watch for free is on this link below, to the FLDS documentary Damned To Heaven, so you get to hear both members, and former members talk about the church and their leaders.

https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/filmedia/play/4688/Damned-to-Heaven

When it comes to films that tells the story of religious cults, i have a couple of films that i could easily mention. But there is one film i feel that not many people have seen, or heard about, that people should see. And that is the independent drama film Holy Ghost People, directed by Mitchel Altieri. This film tells the story of Charlotte ( played really well by actress Emma Greenwell ) who is looking for her missing sister, that joined a religious cult church up on Sugar Mountain. She ask her new friend Wayne ( Brendan McCarthy ) to help her find her sister, by pretending to join the church. They meet reverend Brother Billy ( with a fantastic performance by Joe Egender ), who welcome them both. But there is clearly something going on in this church, as Charlotte keep looking for her sister. Holy Ghost People is an effective drama film, of how dangerous cult members can be, and they are willing to do anything for their lord. I personally feel that this is the best film from director Mitchel Altieri. I suggest you buy the DVD and support this film, it is worth having in your movie collection. During this spring i was reading some articles online about a film called The Other Lamb, a film that brings up the subject of a religious cult, that takes place in the countryside. I saw the trailer, and this looked exactly like my cup of tea, and independent film that digs deep into religion. Is this one of the better independent films to see during this season of late summer, or is The Other Lamb a film that you don´t need to waste your time on ?

Selah ( Raffey Cassidy ) is a member of a religious group, run by their leader Shepherd ( Michiel Huisman ). Shepherd have several wives, and every child he have with them are women, as they live in a very closed society with no technology. The sisterhood tries to please their master, in every way that he needs to be pleased, since he is the connection to their creator. But when the sisterhood are having issues with Selah, they are forced to try and deal with the situation, no matter what needs to be done.

I had a feeling that this could be an interesting film, for many different reasons. And i am happy to say that The Other Lamb is a film that clearly shows the danger of religious cults, and the damage that they can cause to human beings. But there is so much more that is important to dig into in a story like this, how these women give up their whole lives, to be told what they should do. Can you imagine not being able to go anywhere you want, not eat the food you want, or not even have a soda you love, because someone will tell you what is ok or not ok ? I personally feel that religious cults such as this one are really dangerous, because the ones who run these cults are very disturbed personalities. This is where we should talk about some of the interesting characters. Let us begin with the cult leader Shepherd, played by actor Michiel Huisman. Shepherd is that kind of character that will piss you off, because he is clearly taking advantage of all of these women in this religious cult. Every woman is supposed to be avaible to him, and be breeded by him, because he is their Shepherd. I have to say though that Michiel does a powerful performance of this sick individual, and for that i applaude him. Actress Raffey Cassidy ( who most of you will recognize from Tomorrowland: A World Beyond ) gives the strongest acting performance in this film as the character Selah, who starts to question things in the sisterhood, as well as what Shepherd is doing. Raffey clearly wanted to give her performance a realistic look, of how it could be when you start to doubt what you believe in, and remember your life from the past. And she does this in a powerful way, that you will feel through her performance. The one thing i especially appreciate about The Other Land, is how beautiful this film is to look at. It is made with a passion to tell a story, especially from a female perspective. Director Malgorzata Szumowska ( who directed the powerful drama film Ine The Name Of ) bring us a film that not only show the pattern of manipulation, but also the power of fighting back, when you feel that something is wrong. The Other Lamb is an independent film with many lairs of important subjects, that needs to be told. Especially that there is a lot of abuse towards women in society, something we can not accept. A film you need to see, especially if you are interested in religious cults, just like myself.

Rating: DDD