There is no pain greater than losing a child, and the idea that artificial intelligence could recreate a loved one to ease that grief is a fascinating and deeply unsettling premise. Unfortunately, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box never fully explores its emotional or ethical potential. Set two years after the death of a young boy, the film follows his parents as they bring a humanoid robot modeled after their son into their home. Rather than reopening old wounds or forcing them to confront their loss, the reunion is surprisingly emotionless, with the characters reacting more to the novelty of the technology than the impossible reality before them. Because the couple has already processed much of their grief, the central conflict feels manufactured, leaving the film without the emotional progression needed to make its eventual farewell resonate. While the performances are strong and the near-future world is convincingly realized, Sheep in the Box ultimately feels like a hollow retread of stories that have already explored AI and grief with far greater depth, leaving little lasting impact despite its profoundly human subject matter.
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Sheep in the Box is in select theaters now.
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