Once in awhile, a film comes around that so greatly exceeds the furthest reaches of expectation that it becomes a must-see event just to believe the hype with your own eyes and ears. Imagine my surprise, dear reader, that the latest film titled The Sheep Detectives was released to rave reviews and an overwhelming amount of audience support. Yes, the film whose title and high-concept that months ago might have forced one to roll their eyes in disinterest has actually turned out to be, not only one of the great surprises of the year, but one of the best films period. A concept that so easily could have been a film disaster has instead turned into a minor miracle of filmmaking. Based on a 2005 German novel titled “Three Bags Full” by author Leonie Swann, this film adaptation is a thoroughly delightful, irresistible surprise that all audiences should *ahem* flock to see.
Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a kind, warm-hearted Shepard who cares for his flock of sheep like they were his own family. He enjoys feeding his sheep, giving them a special medicine to treat Orf disease and reading whodunnit stories aloud to his flock each night. While George assumes that his sheep do not understand the stories he reads to them, we the audience understand that is simply not the case. While the humans are unable to converse with them, the sheep openly speak to one another, aided by a stellar voice cast. George gives each sheep their own name and personality, including know-it-all Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who is able to guess the killer at the end of every one of George’s stories, the uppity diva Cloud (Regina Hall), Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), who is gifted with the best memory of the flock, literally head-butting twin rams Ronnie and Reggie (Brett Goldstein) and the loner Sebastian (Bryan Cranston). The lives of the sheep are flipped upside down when they find George dead from a supposed poisoning. Unable to trust the dopey, over-his-head local Officer Derry (Nicholas Braun), the Sheep decide to use their knowledge of murder stories to their advantage, attempting to solve George’s murder all on their own.
However, George’s murder brings together an ensemble of new faces to the quaint little town of Denbrook, including his cutthroat lawyer Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), George’s biological daughter Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon) and Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), a small-town reporter who wanders into town looking for a story that will nab him a shiny new promotion. Other curious townsfolk include Caleb (Tosin Cole), who owns the adjoining farm next to George, Beth Pennock (Hong Chau) a cunning store owner who holds a long-buried grudge against George and Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), who has other secrets tied to George. The flock’s investigation will force them to discover the reality that lives beyond their tidy bubble of existence and upend everything they know to be true.
Directed by Kyle Balda, The Sheep Detectives is an irresistible and charming film that takes a page out of the Paddington films playbook in combining sweet, insightful emotion with clever and witty humor. Written by Craig Mazin, whose career spans the likes of Scary Movie 4 and Identity Thief, to sobering HBO dramas such as Chernobyl and The Last of Us, the script never talks down to the audience and skillfully infuses weightier themes, pathos and endearing characters within its unorthodox murder mystery. While the film was likely pitched as something akin to Babe meets Knives Out, that would be doing a disservice to the specific tone Balda and his team set out to establish. Balda, making his live-action film debut, strikes a tonal balance that is downright remarkable. Balda’s film manages to be funny without coming across as obnoxious and has tear-jerking emotional beats that don’t feel saccharine or forced. This is a sweet and rather gentle film whose ultimate weapon is using its unique concept as a Trojan horse to address ideas regarding the realization of death, communal prejudices and the mortal necessity to confront the many stages of grief.
Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
George’s sheep, apart from Sebastian and Mopple, are unable to understand the meaning of death as they willingly choose to forget any traumatic or unpleasant memories. To them, death is when a sheep turns into a cloud for the rest of their days and are only familiar with the basic concept through George’s stories. After George’s murder, Lily instructs the flock to forget about George, before Mopple stops her and convinces her that in order to bring peace to themselves and the town, they need to remember George and continue on with their attempt at solving his murder. Mopple is burdened with the inability to forget anything he wishes, carrying with him the weight of his memories. This forces Lily to confront some of the most fundamental ideas of humanity, proving as something of an existential breakthrough for the “smartest sheep who ever lived”.
The film is at its most poignant through this depiction of the sheep having to rethink what they know about the world and their biases regarding their existence and the superstitions that keep them in check, including their tribalism against that ostracized Winter Lamb. The flock, who were all born during the springtime, look down upon the smaller Winter Lamb solely because of their beliefs that having been born outside of the traditional time frame somehow makes them superior. This, and the final whodunnit reveal, leads to a beautiful and deeply moving emotional crescendo in the closing minutes that didn’t leave a single dry eye in my theater audience.
For all the winning displays of humor throughout the film, the broadest strokes of comedy, mainly with the human characters, are the least impactful in the film. Moments of slapstick are generally well-placed and the visual effects on the sheep are practically invisible. While one wishes some of the more veteran players in the cast, namely Emma Thompson and Patrick Stewart, had a bit more oomph to their roles, they are well-utilized in their respective capacity.
Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios
The Sheep Detectives is a delightful cinematic treat. Director Kyle Balda and screenwriter Craig Mazin craft this unlikely murder mystery into a funny and emotionally intelligent story that equally earns its laughs and tugs on the heartstrings. Regardless of age, this is a compelling and charming film whose unique premise is handled with real filmmaking skill and a gifted sense of storytelling.
The Sheep Detectives is now playing in theaters.
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