DVD Corner

Sheep In The Box Blu-ray Review

“Sheep In The Box” is an ambitious sci-fi drama.

Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (best known for gems such as “Shoplifters,” “After Life,” and “Monster”), “Sheep In The Box” is a sci-fi film set in the near future in a technology fueled society not too far from our own. Kensuke and Otone are a married couple who are mourning the loss of their child Kakeru. The two decide to adopt a robot child (AKA a humanoid) that resembles Kakeru from the REbirth company with the hope that it will bring back the joy in their lives. Kensuke is skeptical about the whole situation and sees Kakeru more as a Roomba. He also struggles with guilt about what happened to his son. Otone becomes a bit too attached and seems to see what she wants to see with the humanoid by believing he exhibits more human emotions. Through their experiences with the humanoid, Kensuke and Otone have to grapple with complex emotions and try to move forward in life by accepting the reality that their son is gone. Meanwhile, Kakeru begins to congregate with other humanoids and seems to be plotting his own future. 

While “Sheep In The Box” does tread similar ground to “Black Mirror,” Kore-eda’s film is a deep psychological piece with no shortage of ideas. At its heart it’s a story about humanity like all of Kore-eda’s work, but the story explores grief, family, growth, nature, architecture, AI, and memories. There’s a lot of all too relevant ideas here especially in terms of humanity’s technological dependence and living a lie in order to avoid one’s own emotions. Truth be told, there’s enough concepts here for several films. It’s an ambitious project to be sure, but as a result, some storylines get a bit short changed. The plotline with Kakeru and the other humanoids is pivotal, but there’s a large chunk of the runtime where that arc is ignored. 

The cast really sells the story. Haruka Ayase (Otone) and Daigo Yamamoto (Kensuke) both give nuanced performances. You believe them as a disconnected couple struggling with grief. Rimu Kuwaki also gives an impressive performance as the humanoid Kakeru. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.20:1 1080p. How does it look? The BD-R picture quality is slightly fuzzy, but is generally crisp.

Audio Track: Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This is a clean 5.1 track.

Extras include trailers for “Sheep In The Box,” “It Ends,” and “Hope.”

October 11, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Hirokazu Kore-eda, Sci-fi, Sheep In The Box Blu-ray Review, Sheep In The Box Movie