Kore-eda’s 17th Film Probes AI Grief After Chinese Startup Inspired Premise
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 15
Kore-eda’s 17th Film Probes AI Grief After Chinese Startup Inspired Premise
1 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 15
March 2024 reporting on Chinese startup Super Brain pushed Hirokazu Kore-eda to develop “Sheep in a Box,” his 17th feature, about bereaved parents living with an android version of their dead son.
A Beijing meeting with founder Zhang Zewei deepened the project after Kore-eda saw how the company uses photos, videos and other data to build interactive AI likenesses of the deceased.
Rather than frame the technology as dystopian, the 63-year-old director said he wanted a more humanistic story about grief, trial and error, and androids ultimately outgrowing human-centered assumptions.
Set in a near-future Tokyo with drones and electric cars, the film also argues that the seemingly wasteful creative process humans endure still carries value that AI’s instant answers cannot replace.
As AI promises to resurrect the dead, is it offering digital comfort or a psychological curse?
Can an AI that outgrows its human family be a source of grace, not a threat to our existence?
"Sheep in a Box" Premieres at Cannes 2026: Exploring the Global Surge in Grief Tech and Digital Resurrection
Overview
Hirokazu Kore-eda, a celebrated director with a strong history at Cannes, premiered his new film 'Sheep in a Box' at the 2026 festival, building on the success of his previous award-winning works like 'Like Father, Like Son' and 'Shoplifters.' The film, set in Yokohama, explores a family's grief as they adopt a humanoid robot to replace their lost son, blending Kore-eda's signature family drama with timely questions about artificial intelligence and memory. This highly anticipated premiere reflects both Kore-eda's ongoing influence at Cannes and the global conversation about technology's role in human relationships.