Sheep Detectives

A film review by Dr. Lloyd Sederer

Source: Amazon Prime

Anyone, child or adult, who watches Disney won’t be surprised that sheep (among many other four-legged animals) can be charming – and talk! But until today, did you know that sheep have achieved mastery as sleuths, among the likes of the droll Sherlock Holmes? Or Inspector Clouseau, famed for his pursuit of The Pink Panther?

It took the murder of a beloved man, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), the modest, kindly shepherd of a flock of talking sheep, to mobilize their keen detective skills. And for the sheep to employ that talent against a duo, a woman and a man, ostensibly decent folks. Don’t be fooled by a patina of worldliness and charm – because it can disguise greed at any cost, even that of a human life.

Hardy lives in well-tended metal trailer placed with permanence in a lush English meadow. Inside are a bounty of books, including one of his own about caring for sheep. A few clues indicate he is wealthier than his life reveals, that enable his very generous donations to the local church.

All is well, very well, until he is found lying dead a few steps in front of the trailer’s door. The two cans of colored paint that stand nearby are meant to trigger the sheep sleuths, perhaps also we, the film’s audience, to wonder what their purpose might be. In film, never display a prop unless you intend to use it.

Upon Hardy’s death, his will, read by his lawyer, Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), reveals his estate to be $30million, unbeknownst to anyone in town, earned from his homeopathic creations for sheep. His beneficiary is his long-lost daughter (Molly Gordon), but only if found; if not, his estate goes to guess who?

Lydia teams up with a stranger posing as a journalist, her accomplice to acquire the estate of the late Mr. Hardy. Fear not, this duo’s sneaky and deadly business was in line with the kind of film my wife’s 8- & 10-year-old grandsons took us to see, approved by their parents.

The film had layers and many messages. The bad and good (as above). The rapprochement of father and daughter. That a person can be rich and a mensch as well. That sheep are sentient, have minds we can understand with the consciousness that resides outside our cranium. That local police, even rookies like Officer Tim (Nicholas Braun), can solve mysteries and render justice. That “it takes a village”, like when its members are mostly sheep. Life does come to an end but only for our corporal bodies. Dr. M.L. King’s wisdom, to paraphrase, that the arc of justice is long, so don’t give up on it too soon. And try not to eat lamb, enjoy their wool.

While the film had a couple cruel, greedy people with no place for human kindness, they had no AK47s or hand grenades. I was pleasantly instructed that not only Ivy League Professors have what it takes to teach morals and ethics. And to once again be duly impressed by the thespian talents of Hugh Jackman.

I think it will be some time before I order lamb chops for dinner.

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Dr. Lloyd Sederer is a psychiatrist, a public health doctor, and a non-fiction writer.

www.askdrlloyd.com