Despite being labelled as a murder mystery, The Sheep Detectives wasn’t quite what I had expected. I love a good detective movie, but this one wasn’t as much about sleuthing as it was coming to terms with grief, and that only made the film more meaningful.
Based on the book by Leonie Swann and adapted for screen by Craig Mazin, Kyle Balda’s (Minions, Despicable Me 3) comedic whodunit was an enjoyable 2 hours of warmth, laughter, and bittersweetness.
Set in a small English town, kind and spirited shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) cares for his sheep so much that he even reads them murder mysteries every night, thinking they can’t understand him. One morning, he’s found dead outside his trailer by his smartest sheep, Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Accompanied by Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), a sheep cursed with memory, and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), a guarded lone sheep, Lily takes it upon herself to investigate her shepherd’s murder when she realises that the town’s singular policeman is completely incapable of solving it. At the same time, young journalist Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) arrives looking for a scoop.
The Sheep Detectives, though a murder mystery, is ultimately a story about loss: how it comes suddenly, and how taking the gruelling way out of it can be an expression of love, gratitude, and honouring loved ones. The sheep, with their ability to forget unpleasant memories, still chose to remember George, even when it hurt to know he’s gone. As a family movie, its approach to facing loss resonates deeply with audiences of all ages.
Beneath this theme lies a supporting message that being different or considered ‘lacking’ doesn’t mean you’re incapable – even sheep that are unequipped for sleuthing can solve real mysteries. An inexperienced and useless policeman can still take a step out of his comfort zone and learn to protect his town. Outcasts, both human or sheep, can find love and self-worth, as long as they don’t give up. It’s a simple and not an uncommon theme, but nevertheless an enriching one.
The film makes it remarkably easy to grow attached to its characters. The sheep are an adorable and amusing lot, with no understanding of the concept of death, religion, pain, and… circles. They each have their own distinct personalities and compelling character arcs, though I do believe that Sebastian’s gradual change of heart could’ve been explored further.
The movie’s focus is planted mostly on the sheep, so I can’t comment on most of its human characters. Furthermore, the sheep’s humour that always landed well didn’t exactly extend to the humans, and Galitzine’s delivery occasionally came off as stiff during some of his character’s funnier moments. Despite this, it’s difficult to find the human characters unlikeable. George’s daughter Rebecca (The Bear’s Molly Gordon) is a misunderstood sweetheart with the morals and kindness of her father. George’s lawyer Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson) is an experienced, judgemental, and hilariously sarcastic lady, and George Hardy’s own wholesome relationship with his beloved herd makes him impossible not to love despite his limited screen time.
The Sheep Detectives, being a heartwarming family comedy, is a jump from the acclaimed projects Mazin has written before (The Last of Us, Chernobyl). Even so, he manages to balance humour and fun with the darker aspects of the movie while also avoiding tropes or cringeworthy dialogue.
Overall, The Sheep Detectives is one of the coziest movies I’ve watched all year. It’s a comfort film that I – and probably anyone handling grief at some point – could really use. Of course, the adorable, fluffy sheep are impossible to resist, and if there is another thing that I learned from this movie, it’s to not underestimate them!
by Arin Chua
