The Sheep Detectives: An Unexpected Deconstruction of Grief

If you told me that “The Sheep Detectives,” a movie about talking crime-solving sheep, would be one of the most heartwarming depictions of grief I’ve ever seen, I probably would have doubted you. And then I would have searched social media and been baffled to see people in agreement on one thing: that this movie was a tearjerker.

And then I probably would have gone to see the sheep movie in theaters to judge it for myself.

This is exactly what happened just a few weeks ago. When I came out of the theater’s big double doors, back into the sunlight, I suddenly understood all its glowing reviews.

I won’t sugarcoat it—the perfect movie has yet to be made—but for me, “The Sheep Detectives” fulfilled almost everything that I had been expecting out of it. Adorable characters, a head-scratching mystery, and moments of emotion that had me struggling to keep it together.

“The Sheep Detectives” is a surprisingly poignant story about grieving.

It opens with the simple yet mysterious life of a shepherd named George, who tends a large flock of sheep. When he is found dead under strange circumstances, the sheep, led by the most intelligent of the flock, named Lily, must work together to solve his murder and find the culprit.

While it is a surreal mystery romp, it’s also a movie about coping with the death of someone very dear. The way it intertwines memory, loss, and the grieving process is raw and sincere, with a depth unexpected in an all-ages family movie.

One of the main conflicts in the movie is that the sheep can forget things at will, and many choose to let go of painful memories rather than live with the grief.

I found this to be used in a really profound and meaningful way. To me, it echoes real-life grieving processes—sometimes it may seem easier to simply forget about a painful loss and to bury it through one coping mechanism or another.

But while people say time heals all wounds, that can itself be another source of pain. Once memories of someone begin to fade, it can be like a second death. Personally, when dealing with losses, I’m constantly afraid of losing memories—their sense of humor, the specific way they wear their hair when they go out, the sound of their voice—and this feeling is something this movie has completely captured.

In short, I loved it. I think it had exactly the kind of message I needed as someone dealing with a recent loss, and I’ll most likely be thinking about this movie for a long time. If you’re struggling with something similar and feel like you may need the movie equivalent of a warm hug from somebody who understands, I think “”he Sheep Detectives” “would be the perfect watch for you.

Featured image via Lucas Pezeta on Pexels