Director Hirokazu Koreeda Misses the Mark with Sheep in the Box

Hirokazu Koreeda is one of our most respected filmmakers with a storied career spanning three decades. After a string of massive successes, fans were eager for his latest project, Sheep in the Box. The story follows a grieving couple, Otone and Kensuke, who struggle after losing their young son. When a tech company offers them a lifelike android modeled after their child, they find themselves caught in a complex dilemma about memory and loss.

The film presents a near future setting that feels uncomfortably close to our own reality. With drones filling the sky and intrusive AI tech managing our daily lives, the backdrop is visually compelling. However, the story fails to connect these high concept ideas into a cohesive narrative. While the movie aims to comment on parenting and artificial intelligence, it often drifts between different themes without fully committing to any of them.

Even with talented leads like Haruka Ayase and Daigo Yamamoto, the characters feel underdeveloped. We rarely see the emotional weight of their situation, making it hard to care about how the android impacts their lives. The script lacks the emotional depth we expect from a director of Koreeda’s skill. While the technical craft of the filming remains beautiful, the story ultimately lacks the substance needed to make it a memorable entry in his filmography.

Sheep in the Box will head to theaters on July 24, 2026. While it is not a disaster, it stands as a rare misstep for a director who usually captures the human experience with such grace. Fans looking forward to his work can still hope for a stronger performance in his upcoming adaptation of Look Back.