This review contains spoilers.
I don’t know what I was expecting from a movie centered around anthropomorphic sheep investigating Hugh Jackman’s murder, but it certainly wasn’t to be holding back tears.
I looked over at my roommate halfway through the movie and saw her bawling over the reflections of the woolly protagonists on death, belonging and memory.
Released Friday, “The Sheep Detectives” is based on the 2005 novel “Three Bags Full” by Leonie Swann.
It opens in a pasture outside of the English village of Denbrook, where the shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) cares for his sheep, isolated from the rest of the village. The audience is introduced to colorful members of the pasture, including Lily, the “smartest sheep in the world” (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the ram Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), unique in his ability to retain his memories, and “black sheep” Sebastian (Bryan Cranston).
Each evening, the sheep are read murder mysteries as bedtime stories, and Lily has a unique knack for accurately guessing the endings.
The audience learns that the sheep live in blissful ignorance, and have the ability to immediately choose to “forget” anything unpleasant, and believe that sheep eventually turn into clouds instead of death. Additionally, the flock discriminates against the tiny, nameless “winter lamb,” because it is viewed as a symbol of bad luck.
Then, George Hardy is murdered, and the precarious balance is upset. Lily is unable to understand the concept of death and initially attempts to forget Hardy ever existed, but is stopped by Sebastian, who emphasizes the importance of preserving Hardy’s memory.
When Lily realizes the investigation is in the hands of an incompetent policeman (Nicholas Braun) and amateur journalist (Nicholas Galitzine), and that it is following the exact pattern from the stories she is read each evening, she, along with Sebastian and Mopple, decide to solve the mystery themselves.
The story proceeds as a classic murder mystery: Hardy’s long-lost daughter (Molly Gordon) arrives, an altered will is revealed and the wrong suspect is arrested. Over the course of the investigation, Lily’s beliefs are continually challenged, and she must grapple with the realization that sheep die and don’t simply turn into clouds.
One of the most striking moments of the film comes when Lily realizes the pasture is on the verge of being possessed by the village butcher. When she tells the rest of the flock, they are so overwhelmed by the darkness of the situation that, despite Lily begging them to remember and fight, they choose to forget. This is one of the many moments where the movie not-so-covertly moves beyond a simple murder mystery about sheep into something that feels like a societal criticism and call to action.
Despite its dark themes, “The Sheep Detectives” is objectively hilarious, with Cranston’s character constantly interjecting punchy one-liners and numerous puns on the fact that the main characters are anthropomorphic sheep solving crime.
Each of the characters feels well-developed. Even the side characters, such as Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), who serves as Hardy’s lawyer, and Cloud (Regina Hall), a beauty-obsessed sheep, have humorous moments that help drive the plot.
The mystery itself is entertaining, but it becomes a backdrop for the personal journey of Lily through grappling with death and purpose. I think this movie is a must-watch for older teens and adults. Despite the fact that it’s targeted at a younger audience, it’s intense, and they may have the same reaction as I did when watching “A Dog’s Purpose” at age eight — lots of tears.
“The Sheep Detectives” delivered so much more than I expected, and I think it deserves recognition amongst the upper echelons of dark comedies.
Email: [email protected]
X: @MaryclareN08
Related Stories:
— Reel Thoughts: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ struts its stuff with style — and just enough substance
— Reel Thoughts: ‘Roommates’ realistically depicts horror stories
