Rams (2015) review

Following a local competition to judge "the best sheep" (a far, far cry from the Westminster Kennel Club) a long-running feud between Icelandic brothers Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi (Theodór Júlíusson) escalates when Gummi, irate his beloved ram came in second place to Kiddi's ram, claims Kiddi's flock is infected with 'scrapie' (an incurable disease) which leads to the local authorities destroying all of the sheep ... except Gummi hides some in the basement of his house. Hákonarson may be a relatively young filmmaker with a limited output thus far, but this is a well-paced and quietly observant portrait of two very unhappy men who find companionship in animals instead of people (both are single and childless) who eventually have to work together and reconcile: its ending is poignant and well-deserved. It's a simple tale told with grace and nice little side details (a dog is used to send notes and such to each other); Iceland is made to look like the actual end of the Earth.