Downtown at FOX Theatres, played “The Sheep Detectives," a charming story about a familial flock of sheep, who take on the duty of solving the murder of their beloved herder, George.
However, unbeknownst to the herder, the sheep can talk and possess human-like intelligence, often smarter than the humans in the story.
The story starts with George writing a letter to a certain loved one, talking about his sheep, his life, and how he wants them to visit. George also reads detective stories to his sheep. He’s taking care of a winter lamb, a runt that the other sheep exclude.
A contractor for a butcher business comes to solicit George for his property and sheep. The sheep think he’s trying to bring more animals over and are disappointed when he’s turned away, so they do a collective ritual where they forget things that hurt them, a defense mechanism.
A young reporter, desperate for a good story and a promotion, goes to a festival in the nearby town that turns out to be a sham, and he gets mad.
There’s a storm that night, and George is mysteriously found dead outside his trailer hours later, and the mourning sheep all aim to solve the murder with the knowledge of the crime stories George read to them.
The reporter, contractor, and a comedically under-qualified but well-meaning cop show up to investigate the scene. The cop initially thinks it was a heart attack, but the reporter suspects murder.
George’s daughter, Rebecca, shows up with her lawyer. This is when the cop gathers all the characters aforementioned to investigate the death. The sheep keep tabs on them, alongside their own investigation, cross-referencing their evidence with the arrogant humans, eventually solving the crime and leading the cop to who did it.
Another theme is prejudice, how people can often make up their minds about something being a lost cause or not worthy of life. This also takes place with the runt, who is invaluable to solving George’s case, but also overcoming being an outcast from the other sheep.
The last major theme was the importance of remembering; Sebastian uses his street smarts from the trauma he experienced to guide the flock through the story, making them less prejudiced and more tactile. The sheep eventually learned that memory is more important than forgetting because it’s how your loved ones will live on and how you grow.
Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t have many negatives, as it has a well-paced story structure that keeps you invested in the sheep's fate, and there are no plot holes that would confuse the audience by the end of the movie. A notable negative is that it’s a little bit obvious who the murderer is because of their suspicious motivations and the lack of information on them compared to the rest of the characters.
The movie is filmed in the grasslands of somewhere in England and in a rural town. The quirks of each sheep and their funny moments add a defining whimsical element compared to other animal-led stories. The way they use color to define the story is impressive. There are sunlit greens and warm pastels on the idyllic farm and in the town. However, there’s a stark contrast during the more traumatic parts of the story, specifically with Sebastian’s past, which displays stark neon colors and harsh lighting.
The Rotten Tomatoes score is a 94% right now. The commentary from viewers says it is the perfect cozy movie, one person saying it reminded them of classics such as “Charlotte’s Web” or “Babe.”
Overall, this is a great movie to see for all ages. Even during the most heartbreaking scenes, it’s digestible for an audience who are sensitive to darker themes. While the story comments on dark things such as animal abuse, it isn’t visually explicit at all.
The connection and growth between the sheep has a strong emotional impact that makes a good ending that much more satisfying. An unusual element you see in cinema is that the humans are kind of idiots, and it takes the sheep testing the humans' evidence to solve the case.
Despite its slight predictability, it doesn’t take away from the story because it adds an element that other feel-good movies try to hide. It explores the consequences of human greed on animals, but also shows what a good, loving person can do for them.
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