Hirokazu Koreeda is one of Japan’s most prolific directors, and his first film of 2026, Sheep in the Box, should be a slam-dunk project for him. A film that uses AI humanoids to explore loss and the process of overcoming grief, while also examining how these humanoids, employed as vessels for managing human emotion, are affected when they are no longer needed, has all the ingredients for a compelling drama. However, the film’s meandering middle results in a story that ultimately left me cold by its conclusion.
Set in a near future Japan where drones fly across the sky to deliver packages straight to people’s doors, we follow the married couple Otone (Haruka Ayase) and Kensuke Komoto (Daigo Yamamoto), who, sometime after the death of their child Kakeru (Rimu Kuwaki), are given the opportunity to obtain a free AI humanoid version of him, created from photos and videos of their late son. Opening their doors to the humanoid child, they slowly begin to come to terms with their grief and loss, a process that profoundly affects the humanoid version of Kakeru and his sense of purpose.
Grief is an emotion that we will all inevitably experience and must learn to live with. It will linger with us, and each of us will process it differently. So, seeing Koreeda use AI as a vessel for a couple to overcome their grief should make for a poignant and meaningful journey. However, the film loses its way early on when Kakeru begins interacting with another mysterious person. While this person and their actions need to be established for the ending to land effectively, they pull focus away from the middle of the film, where we should be watching the couple work through their grief.
Seeing Otone become so fixated on the humanoid, wanting it to embody the idealised version of her son, is deeply depressing and painfully human. Memories of loved ones are inherently flawed; they’re shaped by our lived experiences rather than who those people truly were. The film attempts to explore this idea through the mysterious figure and the humanoid Kakeru seemingly being up to something, but it takes too long to reach its point. Very early on, especially when Kensuke and others casually refer to the humanoid Kakeru as a Roomba, we understand that this robot will never provide the closure the couple needs, because this version of Kakeru is not their son.
Despite these narrative shortcomings, Kuwaki is nothing short of incredible in the role of Kakeru, especially considering this is his first acting role. He delivers a performance that many actors three times his age would struggle to achieve, balancing the challenge of replicating someone he is not while slowly becoming his own person. Ayase and Yamamoto are also fantastic as Otone and Komoto, bringing real humanity to an overtly sci-fi film. Koreeda’s script is also surprisingly funny, allowing the more sombre moments to land with greater impact, as the film isn’t all doom and gloom from beginning to end. The soundtrack is likewise immaculate, blending electronic and more classical tracks to reflect both the human and AI characters.
Overall, while Sheep in the Box does build to a truly impactful conclusion, it loses its footing in the middle, resulting in a film that is worthwhile but ultimately a disappointing entry in the broader context of Koreeda’s filmography. That’s not to say there aren’t incredible moments throughout; there certainly are, but the film doesn’t do quite enough to justify its over two-hour runtime.
Premiered at the 2026 Edinburgh Film Festival and in UK cinemas from September 25th / Haruka Ayase, Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki, Nana Seino, Kan’ichirô Satô / Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda / Picturehouse Entertainment / 12A
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