'Sheep in the Box': A pointless, sweet story of grief, robots - review

Hirokazu Koreeda's 'Sheep in the Box' is a sweet but somewhat pointless film about a couple grieving their young son who adopt an AI robot programmed to mimic him. The review compares it to Spielberg's 'A.I.' and notes the director's signature gentle touch, but finds the suspenseful plot fizzles into a nice but ultimately unsatisfying story.

Hirokazu Koreeda's latest film, 'Sheep in the Box,' is a sweet but somewhat pointless story about a couple grieving the loss of their young son who adopt an AI robot programmed to mimic him. The review compares the film to Steven Spielberg's 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' but notes that Koreeda's version is less dystopian and more focused on human connection. The film stars Ayase Haruka and Daigo Yamamoto, with Rimu Kuwaki as the robot child. The reviewer, Hannah Brown, finds the film disappointing for Koreeda fans, as the suspenseful plot fizzles into a nice but ultimately pointless story. The title references a moment from 'The Little Prince,' suggesting the film aims to explore how technology replaces human connection, but the sweetness of Koreeda's vision softens the critique.