The Sheep Detectives

Last night I went to see The Sheep Detectives and I absolutely loved it!  I may or may not have had a tear in my eye on more that one occasion!  George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd content to live on his own with his flock of sheep just outside the village of Denbrook.  He interacts more with the sheep (he reads to them from detective novels every night) than the villagers because he has a contentious relationship with most of them.  When George is found murdered, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), a dim-witted policeman, and Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), a reporter desperate for a big break, begin investigating but the sheep soon realize that the two of them are in over their heads and begin their own investigation.  They eavesdrop on the reading of the will by George's lawyer Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson) and determine that the main suspects include Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), George's estranged daughter, Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole), a rival shepherd, Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), the local butcher, Beth Pennock (Hong Chau), a woman scorned by George, and Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), a priest with whom George has had mysterious dealings.  The sheep, led by Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), Cloud (Regina Hall), Sir Richfield (Patrick Stewart), Zora (Bella Ramsey), Wool-Eyes (Rhys Darby), and twins Reggie and Ronnie (Brett Goldstein), discover multiple clues (and find highly amusing ways to inform Derry of their findings) but they must ultimately accept help from Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) and Winter Lamb (Tommy Birchall), two sheep who have been ostracized from the flock, to solve George's murder.  This is a clever murder mystery (I did not guess the identity of the murderer) that plays with the genre's tropes as the sheep try to figure out what to do but it is also surprisingly poignant with some powerful messages about grief and belonging.  I really loved the cast, especially the voice cast, and all of the performances are incredibly charming (but some of the actors, particularly Chau and Thompson, do not have a lot to do).  I also enjoyed the pacing, the action set pieces, the visual effects (I only noticed the CGI in one scene), and the bucolic setting (I really want to live in an English village).  This is an unexpected delight (it is so much better than I was expecting) and it is now one of my favorites this year.  I highly recommend it for everyone!