Who – August 10, 2019

Location shoots took
place across Sydney,
the Blue Mountains, the
NSW South Coast and
Tasmania.

“She sees vanity, misogyny,

and arrogance,” Davis says

of her character’s feelings

towards Ignatius.

Ona remoteisland,allbutforgottenbytherestofthe

world, three nuns live in a derelict monastery, going

about God’s work, such as it is with only a herd of sheep

to tend to. Their pristine existence is shattered, however,

with the arrival of Father Ignatius (Reid), who turns

up unannounced and makes it abundantly clear the

unsupervised domain the women have enjoyed over

the island is about to come to an abrupt end. The nuns

have other ideas.

And so begins this dark, intriguing four-part drama

based on the novel by Marele Day. Lambs is a battle of

wills between Ignatius, and Sisters Iphigenia (an almost

unrecognisable Davis), Margarita (Dowd) and Carla

(Jessica Barden), all with complicated backstories to

explore. A little bit Misery, a little bit The Handmaid’s

Tale (with Dowd proving herself the go-to actress for

religious fanaticism),theseries is mostly unlike anything

elseonTV as the bedraggled trio go to extreme lengths

topreservelifeastheyknowit.

As the series progresses, it expands upon the book’s

narrative, following the efforts of Ignatius’ sister

(Kate Mulvany) on the mainland to determine what

has become of her brother. And while that element

is necessary to increase the breadth of the story –

especially given this is a four-parter and not a telemovie

• it is the narrower confines of the clash between priest
  and nuns that make this truly unique television.
  That uniqueness extends to the visual aesthetic of
  the series – the nuns’ abode is a blend of medieval
  and Australian bush; Gothic and yet outdoorsy. It’s an
  unusual combination, which also makes it very difficult
  to pinpoint when Lambs is set, until we are told it is
  1999, of course. There is no mistaking the era by Episode
  2, though, when part of the action moves to the nearby
  coastaltown– a locationthat,aspicturesqueasit is,
  cannotcomparetothehauntingbeautyoftheisland
  itselfandthedarksecretsit keeps.
  (Starts Sun., Jul. 21 at 8.30pm; Fox Showcase)

TV

LAMBS OF GOD

STARRING: Essie Davis, Sam Reid, Ann Dowd

THREE QUESTIONS WITH ...

Essie Davis

heactress, 49, talks about her startling transformation in Lambs of God.

nsof Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries will get a surprise when they see you in

is,won’t they?

hey’ll suddenly think I’ve aged 40 years. My character is not vain. She doesn’t

rewhat she looks like because she has no mirror. She’s pretty rough as guts.

hereare some confronting scenes with dead animals. Was it real?

e did have real lamb carcasses. The blood was not real – that was mostly

oca-Cola-flavoured syrup stuff. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I think there

ightbeen a little bit too much blood in the first episode.

ou’ve also got three films coming up. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?

s been incredibly exhausting working back-to-back on four projects. I don’t

inkI’ll ever do that again – it’s too hard on the whole family dynamic. But

achof these roles has been a little gem. I’m very lucky.

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