The VIP jacket wearing Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of Cannes’ most regular presences, with seven films selected over the years and one Palme d’Or under his belt. So far he has showcased 2001’s Distance, 2004’s Nobody Knows (which won Best Actor), 2009’s Air Doll (an Un Certain Regard selection), 2013’s Like Father, Like Son, 2015’s Our Little Sister, 2016’s After the Storm, 2018’s Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters, 2022’s Broker (which won Best Actor) and finally 2023’s Monster which landed Best Screenplay. A cinema that is not afraid to move into sci-fi or twists genres, the Japanese filmmaker has often explored the fragility and reinvention of family, life from the childhood perspective and emotional inheritance and compassion within social neglect. This latest offering (and the first of two films to be released this year), this stars Haruka Ayase and Daigo Yamamoto as a couple who welcomes an infant humanoid robot (Kuwaki Rimu), following the passing of their son. The first of three offerings today, and the third of three Japanese cinema offerings, Sheep in the Box is the competition’s #7 film of 22.
A regular on our Cannes Critics’ Panel charts, previous scores for his cinema are 3.1 for 2015’s Our Little Sister, 3.6 for 2018‘s Shoplifters, 2.9 for 2022‘s Broker and 3.2 for 2023’s Monster. Sheep in the Box premiered early yesterday afternoon and it has to be the worst entry for the filmmaker in his history if we compare to his previous films. With more than fifteen critics weighing in we have an average score of 2.2.
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