Displaying items by tag: Emma Thompson

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES

UK/Ireland, 2026, 109 minutes, Colour.

Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Emma Thompson, Hong Chau, Conleth Hill, Nicolas Braun, voices of: Brett Goldstein, Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Chris O'Dowd, Rhys Darby, Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tommy Birchall.

Directed by Kyle Balda.

No, not inquiries about sheep difficulties. The sheep themselves are the detectives. And, very enjoyably so.

Shepherd George, living in a caravan outside a typical Miss Marple English village, reads detective stories to his sheep. Leader, Lily, usually solves the mystery while others always think it is the maid! They are an interesting flock, a range of different characters, some woolly eyes, some awkward, the aristocratic ram, two rams who like to butt themselves and vehicles, and an aloof leader, Sebastian, whom George has rescued from being the target of dogfights in a carnival. They speak, a range of star voices, varied personalities, some frisky young lambs, enjoying life, devoted to George.

George is genial – he is played by Hugh Jackman. And, then he is murdered.

The local policeman is a bit dimwitted, Nicolas Braun from Succession, but an eager young visitor, journalist, Nicholas Galitzine, ever-ready to help him. And there is the imperious lawyer who comes to read the will, Emma Thompson. Then George’s daughter from the US also turns up, Molly Gordon.

Of course, the sheep are determined to find out who killed George.

The enjoyment of the screenplay relies on the murder mystery, Agatha Christie-style scenario, the listing of suspects, presence, opportunity, profit from the murder. Lily takes charge, clues are found, and she finds all kinds of ways of trying to communicate with the policeman while unable to speak to him.

It is all very entertaining, the suspects, the local butcher, another Shepherd, hotel keeper, local vicar, all with motivations. But, eventually Lily works it out, find ways of communicating with the policeman, mystery solved! There are enough clues for audiences to work out who the murderer is – but probably a good enough mystery not to work out the actual identity of the murderer!

The sheep realise that they are often considered woolly-headed. This is a film to vindicate the sheep and their abilities, and a nice underlying moral, that the sheep reject winter sheep because normally they are all born in spring and summer. A little winter lamb is active in Lily’s manoeuvres – and, of course, welcomed finally into the flock.

Who would have thought that the sheep could have been so entertaining?

1. An entertaining murder mystery? Scenario, clues, based on popular novels, the victim, suspects, investigation? And the contribution of the sheep and the detective work?
2. The English village, the fields, the sheep, the caravan, shops, church, butcher’s, the hotel? The countryside? The musical score?
3. The humour, the MGM lion bleating, the sheep and their various characters, the butting twins, the conversations, jokes, the shepherd who read detective stories to the sheep, Lily’s solving them, the sheep and the murder investigation, fear at crossing the road, the chicken crossing the road, always present, Mopple and his accidents, collaboration with him?
4. George, Hugh Jackman and his charm, reading the detective stories, his invention to help the sheep, his naming all the sheep, Lily after his wife, Sebastian, their characteristics, encouraging them? His death? His reappearances, his ghost for Lily, for Rebecca?
5. The situation, Ham as the greedy butcher, Caleb the shepherd, plans to work with Ham, Beth, the hotel, stealing the letter, the Reverend and George’s donation of the money? The Reverend trying to track down George’s children?
6. The arrival of Elliott, young, enthusiastic, reporter, camera, all the photographs, the crash, returning, collaboration with Tim, and helpful, with the sheep, with the lawyer, ousted from the reading of the will? The sheep and the clues, the chemical on his hands, the hair for the DNA, the revelation, the son from South Africa, the phone call to the lawyer, his visiting his father, the murder? His trying to escape?
7. Rebecca, the daughter, the correspondence, arriving, at the hotel, the visit to her father, losing the hoop, the sheep finding it, leading Tim to find it in the field? Her lies, the visit to her father, the reading of the will, the alibi, her arrest? the winter lamb and the blue and the red on the hooves, Lily helping, the line floor?
8. Tim, the only policeman, slow, ambitious, dignity, procedures, searching, the return, with the sheep? Gradually improving? The collaboration with Elliot? Interrogation of Rebecca? Led by the sheep, working with the sheep, realisations, the arrest?
9. The sheep, the voices, the characters, colours, Lily, leader, solving the mysteries, the clues, prejudice against winter lambs, her judgements, providing the final clues? Sebastian, the Carnival, the brutal fight with the dogs, a winter lamb, alone, saved by George? His stern comments? Saving Lily and Mopple from the dogs, his death? (And the issues of death, forgetting deaths, thinking sheep became clouds, facing the reality of death?)
10. The range of sheep, their characters, the superior knight, the woolly sheep, the young sheep, the playful sheep, the comments and questions, wanting to forget? The little winter lamb and rejection, participating in the case, Lily welcoming him into the flock?
11. The film working well as a murder mystery, characters and suspects, presence, gains, opportunity? And the animation – and the rehabilitation of sheep as stupid animals!

DEAD OF WINTER

Germany, 2025, 98 minutes, Colour.

Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, Laurel Marsden, Gaia Wise, Cuan Hosty-Blaney, Paul Hamilton, Lloyd Hutchinson, Brian F. O'Byrne.

Directed by Brian Kirk.

The emphasis is definitely on winter. But, of course, there is an emphasis on dead.

The setting is Minnesota but the filming was actually done in Finland and Germany, with winter scenes of Finland, snow, iced over rivers and lakes, hills and forests, slippery roads, most of the action taking place over one day, we are immersed in the dead of winter.

Within that day, there are quite a number of flashbacks, cheery and romantic, summer on the lakes. Which means that there is some personalising of the grim story on that fateful day.

And this is very much Emma Thompson’s film, producing it, starring, and, sometimes we might notice in the expression of the actress portraying her in the flashbacks, resemblances, we are right because she is played by Emma Thompson’s daughter, Gaia Wise.

From the 90s, we remember Emma Thompson as archetypally English, Howard’s End, Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility (winning an Oscar for writing the screenplay). But, here she is what Americans might call a tough old gal, harsh accent (perhaps channelling something of Glenn Close’s performance as JD Vance’s grandmother in his autobiographical Hillbilly Elegy). And, in some ways, she is moving into what we might call Liam Neeson territory, action hero. But, for most of the films, she has to use her brains rather than brawn though there are quite some physical struggles at the end.

And, why is she here in the dead of winter? Driving slippery roads, getting lost, asking advice from a big tough codger, eventually finding the lake which she and her boyfriend, then husband, used to visit and fish decades ago. And, with some pathos towards the end, we discover that she has a mission to the lake in memory of her husband.

What began as an excursion, turns into something of a deadly thriller. The man who gave her advice is seen pursuing the a young woman with a gun. Barb, our tough adventurer, has a sense of righteousness and goes to investigate, leading her into a complex drama, the young girl abducted and imprisoned, the man under the thrall of his physically and mentally disturbed wife, played by Judy Greer. The screenplay keeps us wondering what exactly is wrong, what exactly the couple are up to, why the young woman has been abducted, and what is her fate.

Some complications when Barb is able to contact two hunters and they approach to investigate the situation, fatally.

So, tough action, an Emma Thompson film – some bloggers have objected to the flashbacks being too romantic and spoiling the thriller atmosphere. This reviewer actually welcomed them, humanising Barb and spelling out her motivation for being there, intervening as well as her skills in action.

1. The title and expectations? Landscapes, the US North, Minnesota, filming in Finland and winter? Frozen lakes and rivers, slow, the roads, the woods? Dead of winter atmosphere? In the background ominous score?
2. The emphasis on dead, indications of dramatic thriller? Variations on the theme?
3. The fishing, revealed as Barbara at the end? Her driving, determination, her age looking her age, the snow, the British, the lake, the fork in the road, the heart, meeting the man, giving directions, her finding the lake, going out to fish, setting up the old shed, the office? Sitting fishing?
4. Audience puzzle, who she is, why, the fishing? The effect of the insertions of the flashbacks, the young couple, together, on the lake, fishing, the ring, the bond, the marriage, together and happy, pregnant, the birth, the loss of the child? The flashbacks indicating memories, urging motivations for action?
5. The man from hat, the young girl running, the shots, his taking her back to the house? Her initial response, going to the house, careful, finding the girl, trying to get in, writing the promise to stay in the window? Losing her glove? The later consequences, her searching, the wound in her arm, needing cover?
6. The arrival of the wife, ill, her nose, the blood, her relationship with her husband? The mystery of her motivations, her frantic behaviour, the rifles and shooting? Personality? The girl, the abduction? Keeping her chained? The husband, lumbering, subservient to his wife? The treatment of the girl?
7. The cars, driving, bar and her car stranded? The confrontation on the ice, the husband falling in, frozen, his wife rescuing him? In the car, the confrontation as Barbara, his wanting to go to hospital, her trusting him, his driving away, erratic, the meeting with his wife? Barbara later coming, the car, the hunters, discovering the husband did in the car?
8. Barbara, her interventions, going to action, using her wits? The confrontation, her being chained? Her story about keeping going, to encourage the girl?
9. Barbara, making communication, the hunters? Her encountering them, their caution, going with her, the house, the car, the wife emerging, shooting dead?
10. The container, the tent and the ice, the revelation about the truth, the illicit organ transplantation, the wife, her illness, her intentions?
11. The two women, on the ice, in the tent, the young woman on the table, her being marked by wife, the shooting, Barbara and her previously on the shoulder, something the stitches? In the tent, wounded, upsetting the table, the starting the fire, the two women on the ice, the physical confrontation? The young girl, getting free, burnt, watching?
12. The rifle, the struggle, the ice, the wife falling through, holding on to Barbara’s and Paul, both women and the water, the flashbacks, the reason for Barbara being the lake, the discussion of the lawyer, the breakfast with her husband, his death? His will and the scattering the ashes in the Lake? Her going down through the ice, scattering the ashes?
13. The plausibility of the plot, especially the illicit transplant? The husband and wife out in the backlogs? The abduction of the girl, the intentions? Barbara, her presence, her interventions?