Kore-eda wanders into sci-fi in this muddled near-future family drama
Hirokazu Kore-eda is a must-see director for me. There’s something to appreciate even in the films and TV series of his that don’t have as much emotional pull (and warning, this is one). This year is a rare treat because two of his films will be released in 2026: his eagerly-awaited adaptation of Look Back, coming this fall, and Sheep in the Box, opening in Austin this week.
Sheep in the Box – written, directed and edited by Kore-eda — is an intimate family drama set in the very near future. This future is close enough to look familiar, with large drones delivering packages and rolling robots leading children to school. Architect Otone (Haruka Ayase, Our Little Sister) uses AI chatbots in her daily work. She and her carpenter husband Kensuke (Daigo Yamamoto) continue to grieve for their child Kakeru, killed in a hit and run two years earlier.
Through marketing material sent to their house, the couple learns about a company called REbirth which will provide them with a free humanoid version of Kakeru, based on AI and any media the parents want to submit. While Otone is quick to accept this new robot Kakeru, Kensuke remains skeptical. Meanwhile, the robot kid has plans of his own.
The setting and storyline of Sheep in the Box reminded this critic of Kogonada’s After Yang, although there are elements reminiscent of earlier Kore-eda films, as well. Unlike the family’s android in Kogonada’s film, the robot child here is lacking in personality and his recitation of facts sounds like AI. This is not to say the child actor (Rimu Kuwaki) isn’t talented, but there’s little emotional connection shown between him and his owners/parents. There’s a coldness and detached quality to his performance, which is fitting when playing a soulless robot.
Yet we can see he’s influenced by what he learns during his time with the couple. After Otone reads to him from The Little Prince (this is where the movie’s title comes from), he begins to change his look to become more like the fictional prince. In their discussion of the sheep in the box story, when one of the parents says, “What matter are the things you can’t see,” he takes that seriously, stacking boxes at the entry of his room and making secret plans involving trees.
The robot’s calculating quality makes the final act more far-fetched. While the near future setting grounds most of the storytelling in some sense of reality, the choices at the end are too fantastical and take the viewer out of the film. The usual emotional resonance of Kore-eda’s work isn’t as evident here. There’s also a lack of reflection in the couple’s giving up their memories to a questionable tech company. Sheep in the Box is something of a visual treat, as the production design and costuming make thoughtful contributions to the cinematic storytelling. But in the end, this Kore-eda film is not compelling enough to stand out.
Sheep in the Box opens at the Alamo South Lamar on Friday, July 31.
