Life lessons from ‘The Sheep Detectives’

Karachi, PAKISTAN – The Sheep Detectives is a movie that surprised me at every turn, the first being that I did not expect to enjoy it so much.

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As the name suggests, it is a movie in which sheep solve a crime – specifically, the murder of their shepherd George, played by Hugh Jackman.

The cast is full of other stars, though many voice sheep – Nicholas Braun, Patrick Stewart and Emma Thompson, to name a few.

I never anticipated that this movie, first released May 2 in Ireland, would be the one to make me cry and laugh in equal parts.

Though I went in knowing that George would die, his death still managed to devastate me. Jackman played the kind, strong, sweet shepherd perfectly, as he read mystery novels to the inquisitive sheep and fought for them. It is no surprise that he was a character who was quickly liked.

But the movie was definitely a comedy, filled with quick jokes and hilarious characters like the bumbling Officer Derry [Nicholas Braun] who found an unlikely partner in the aspiring journalist Elliot Matthews [Nicholas Galitzine.] Even the sheep had their own stars, like the excitable lamb trio or the twin rams [Brett Goldstein,] who kept the story lively and fun.

I found myself rooting for the computer animated sheep, praying that they would solve the murder, and more than that, hoping they would uncover their biases. Throughout the movie, the sheep rejected those they dubbed “winter-lambs” – any lamb born in the winter, rather than spring.

This definition included a human character, Rebecca [Molly Gordon,] with the sheep judging her immediately. Still, the sheep were captivating enough that I had hope they would move past these flaws.

Though it was based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story’ by Leonie Swann, the movie differed greatly from its source material, cutting out darker elements, but allowing the unique appeal of the story to shine through.

The core message of this mystery-comedy was one of acceptance, of letting in those dubbed ‘outsiders’ and making a community or a flock from the people around you.

It also emphasized the importance of acknowledging unhappy experiences rather than simply forgetting them, and instead using these experiences as a way to grow.

Another significant theme was the care of sheep, with the movie actually portraying several diverse species of sheep, such as Shetland, Lincoln Longwool, Merino and others. The movie strongly advocated against inhumane slaughterhouses, as well as against eating animals, bringing an important real-life issue to the forefront.

The Sheep Detectives was an unconventional tale of finding family and a home – for both humans and sheep. I recommend it for people of all ages, though watchers should be aware there were quite a few tears by the end – my own included.

Anya Farooqui is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.