Ross Partridge directs and stars in "Lamb," a 2015 film following David Lamb (played by Ross Partridge), a man in his late forties who is quickly becoming aware of his disintegrating goodness. He encounters a girl named Tommie (played by Oona Lawrence). Though she's only eleven years old, David is aware that she is in danger of becoming just as defeated by life as he is. The two connect, and a friendship grows. In an effort to save Tommie from becoming just like him, David invites Tommie away from the city and into the country heartland he grew up in. What follows is a journey of self- discovery for both David and Tommie, culminating in an emotional bond that neither of them could have predicted.The main character's choice to befriend an eleven year old girl is at the center of the film's controversy. The film pays a price for having a protagonist who crosses social sanctioned boundaries in trying to do the right thing, scaring off potential viewers. Partridge was very aware of this controversy, and the ethics of their relationship is one of the continuing topics within the film: Is David going to get in trouble for his behavior? Does he deserve to get in trouble? For the sake of not trying to force my perception of their relationship, I won't try too hard to persuade you one way or another. It is important, however, to note that while Tommie and David are constantly thrown into circumstances that force them to confront the delicacy of their situation, their relationship never approaches a sexual nature. You needn't worry about David peeking at Tommie in the bathroom, or anything similar.Ross Partridge and Oona Lawrence embody their characters so naturally. What they do here should barely be called acting. More like being. Partridge is given the complex task of having to convey deep confusion to the audience, but confidence when he's with his costar. Fortunately, he's able to pull this off and articulate David's personal journey at every stage with perfection. Despite her young age, Lawrence demonstrates remarkable acting in such a demanding role, conveying innocence and intelligence simultaneously. More impressive than the acting ability of either individual is the chemistry between the two leads. They aren't the only actors in the film, but still carry the film mostly between the two of them. Fortunately, they carry it just fine.One element of the film that really surprised me was the cinematography, specifically the number of landscape shots. Even images of the city, which is supposed to represent a metaphorical prison for both characters, look tranquil. This form is consistent throughout the film as the background changes to hotel lobbies to the roadside to the country. These landscape shots were amplified by the music underscoring each scene.The recurring piano score endowed the film with a sort of innocence, a hopefulness that neither of the protagonists have a surplus of. It's especially helpful early on as Tommie and David's relationship starts to bud. Probably the single best tool the film used to alleviate the uncertainty we feel toward David at the beginning.Assuming he'd prefer viewers to not be drowned by David's unconventional behavior, I'd suggest to Partridge that he give increased cognizance of Tommie's sad home life to David. The easiest argument against David having ill intentions is that he was trying to save Tommie from wasting away in neglect, and even an unconventional intervention is better than no intervention at all. While we see that David is aware of Tommie's situation, further enunciating that Tommie would be worse off without him would make his actions much more understandable. This would have been much more helpful, not to mention economic, than David or Tommie intermittently commenting, "This is weird. He, he." Lamb is bold in a way many films claim to be but seldom are. Not everyone is going to accept Partridge's direction, which is understandable. Lamb may be aggressive in how it breaks social norms, but in the wake of Partridge's loud experiment is a delicately crafted film. The liberation afforded to this movie allows for a very honest exploration of good intentions, redemption, and the nature of love, in the process creating a relationship that manages to be both powerful and tender. I'm not sure I've seen anything like it anywhere else in the film world. The closest I can think of would be Leon: The Professional. One thing is for sure, much like David and Tommie are changed by their adventure, you will never be the same after watching this film.

Based on the user reviews and the IMDb message board, most people are uncomfortable with the subject matter and it's portrayal. And they should be.What the main character David Lamb does in this movie, and the way he does it is weird, unusual and uncommon. He is a 47 year old man who essentially kidnaps an 11 year old girl, takes her out of state, lives with her alone in a secluded camp --- with no intention of physical or sexual abuse. He is a product of a bad family. His father is a "Son of a Bitch" (his boss's words). His father shows no interest when David asks him for advice. His mother walked out on the family. His brother was voluntarily homeless, living behind a gas station until he eventually disappeared. David's wife is in the process of divorcing him. He has a beautiful girlfriend who loves him. But he places no value on her or their relationship because he never learned what a good relationship was.He recognizes that Tommie (the eleven year old girl) needs attention because she is engaging in risky behavior and she comes from a family that doesn't care about her. And, she is hanging out with friends that don't care about her either. So, he wants to nurture her and show her things she wouldn't otherwise see. But, he goes about it all wrong because he doesn't know what a healthy relationship consists of. So, as a result, he unintentionally emotionally and psychologically abuses her. And they both end up worse off for their time together. The point of this movie --- intentionally or not --- is that "Good Family is Important". But many people may not recognize this. Because today's society is rife with bad families, broken families and no families. This may be "one" reason why there is so much sociopathic behavior --- immorality, unethical behavior, crime, inhumanity, emotional, psychological, mental disease, etc.The point being, if he had come from a good family, his life would not have been such a mess and he wouldn't be looking to mentor an 11 year old street kid. And if he did, he would have done it in an appropriate manner. Not the way he ended up doing it.And if she had come from a good family, she would not have been on the street engaging in risky behavior with kids that didn't care about her. She would have been involved in healthy activities with family and friends who did care about her. And none of this would have happened. This is a movie for adults, not children. It is uncomfortable to watch. It is a tragedy. There is no violence, action or special effects. But there is nudity and sex. And plenty of unhealthy behavior. The acting and cinematography are good. But it is about unhappy and unhealthy people. And the story goes from bad to worse.I agree with many viewers that this is a hard movie to rate. If you are a mature adult looking for an interesting depiction of an uncommon, unhealthy social situation, I might even give this movie a 10.But if you are just a normal viewer looking for light, happy, positive entertainment, this is not the movie for you.

I'm writing this as I'm watching this movie. I'm only 30 minutes into this film and I'm already immensely disturbed. This movie is trying to make the viewer like this 47 year old man who is trying to seduce an 11 year old girl! WTF! I like Tommy. She's a bright kid who doesn't get any attention from her parents and her "friends" are assholes. She is somewhat more mature than most 11 year old but she definitely looks younger than 11 (like 9) and has a naive nature, as she should, about Gary's intentions. Why would someone make this film unless they have the same sick desires as Gary? The acting was superb. I understand why Tommy was intrigued with Gary, she's a little girl starving for attention. This is type of movie that sickos watch and cheer for Gary to succeed with his sick perversion. If you watch this film at the theater make sure you look around and observe the men in the audience, especially the one's sitting alone. I'm sure Woody Allen loved this movie. I don't know if I can stomach the rest of this movie. I will probably cut it off before the ending. OK now she seems like she wants to go home and he is pressing her to stay. She looks scared. Uhg!

The movie, as a movie, it is not so bad. I can even say that sometimes beautifully shot. The subject of it, however, utterly disturbing and unsettling. It is about a 40 something man's love for an 11 year old girl. There is no sexual abuse - obviously -, otherwise it would have never arrived to the big screen. That said, from the very start of the story, the "sexual" concept is all above it, cautiously managing a very thin line between "happen" and "not happen". Worst thing of all that, however want to explain it, it is child abuse, if not physically, mentally surely. And that's what makes me really sick about it. No one, in his right mind, should ever do that to a child. And that's sums it all up. In the final scene, you can see an again abandoned little child running after a car, emotionally drained, desperately trying to catch something she could never have. And the man who did this to her, just drives away. Very, very bad. I don't give a .... about the man. In my opinion he is as bad as he can be. But the child - that's more than heartbreaking.