Lamb

Ephraim has lost his mother, and when his father leaves to look for work the boy is sent to distant relatives. He takes one thing with him: his sheep, Chuni. Nobody in the new house wants him there; he is no good at the men's work and good in the kitchen, which is not welcomed either. As the holiday approaches, his uncle wants the sheep slaughtered. Yared Zeleke's film was the first feature from Ethiopia selected for Cannes. The telling keeps the rural poverty and the drought in the background; what is in front is a child's effort to hold on to his one attachment. The film also takes up what is expected of a boy quite openly. The landscape and the faces carry its weight; music is used sparingly.