While I pondered such anomalies as the eclectic variety of accents with which the members of a small flock of sheep speak, my young grandsons, aged almost 6 and almost 3, happily embraced all aspects of THE SHEEP DETECTIVES.
Set in and around Denbrook, a small village in rural England, the film relates the story of how his beloved sheep deduce who killed their shepherd George (Hugh Jackman), who had preferred their company to that of his human neighbours. George knew each of his flock by name and he would read ‘whodunnits’ to them every evening. He knew they were not stupid, as some people would maintain, but even he would have been surprised to hear their conversations after he retired into his shiny silver caravan which, like his neighbour’s big red ‘pick-up’truck, seemed oddly out of place in the English countryside.
George’s sudden death sparks not only theories on ‘who dunnit’, but also on the very nature of death. To their credit, writers do not use euphemisms like ‘passed’, and, over the course of the film the older sheep even discredit the story that one becomes a cloud and lives in the sky after death.
When the reason for George’s antagonism towards the church is revealed, the church’s historical role in questionable adoption practices is squarely faced. Similarly, the flock’s rejection of the little ‘winter lamb’ queries society’s perception and treatment of ‘otherness’.
When the sheep eventually venture into the village and are told that the imposing stone church is God’s home, God is neatly described as ‘a big invisible man made of bread and we eat him on Sundays’.
Overall, the obvious comedic elements enthralled the boys, who actually preferred it to the Super Mario movie! To quote Harvey, “THE SHEEP DETECTIVES wasn’t scary at all. The sheep were trying to work out who killed the man and for a while I thought it was one of the sheep who was the bad guy.” Both he and 3 yr old Hamish really liked Ronnie and Reggie the twin cockney bovver rams (voiced by Brett Goldstein), who eventually save the day, and Sebastian, the brave, wise elder ram (voiced by Brian Cranston).
My heart melted whenever the little winter lamb (voiced by Tommy Birchall ) appeared on screen, while Emma Thompson’s star turn as lawyer Lydia Harbottle stole the two-legged kudos.
Directed by Kyle Balda, Craig Mazin’s screenplay is based on Leonie Swann’s 2005 detective novel Three Bags Full.
Review by Tricia, Harvey and Hamish Youlden
