Sheep in the Box Draws 5-Minute Cannes Ovation as Kore-eda Unveils 17th Feature
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 16
Sheep in the Box Draws 5-Minute Cannes Ovation as Kore-eda Unveils 17th Feature
7 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 16
Five minutes of applause greeted Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Sheep in the Box” after its Saturday world premiere at Cannes’ Grand Théâtre Lumière.
The competition entry is a near-future sci-fi family drama in which a grieving couple, played by Haruka Ayase and Daigo Yamamoto, bring a humanoid child robot into their home after losing their son.
Neon will distribute the film in the U.S. later this year, and The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called it a “must see” in an early review.
The premiere extends Kore-eda’s long Cannes run: “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in 2018, while “Like Father, Like Son,” “Broker” and “Monster” also debuted at the festival.
A couple replaced their dead son with an AI. Is this a story of healing or a modern horror?
As AI learns to resurrect the dead, will humanity forget how to properly grieve?
Can Koreeda's restrained AI drama, a departure from his style, win him a second Palme d'Or?