Hirokazu Kore-eda was living in China when he read about companies that use AI to rebuild deceased people from photos and videos, selling the reconstructions to grieving families. He did not just read about it. He flew to Shanghai and met the founders. He watched the AI recreations. Then he went home and made a film.
Sheep in the Box opens Thursday. A couple, two years after losing their son, take in a humanoid rented from a company that provides bereaved parents with android replacements. Kore-eda shot it on 35mm. The title comes from a scene in The Little Prince in which a boy believes a sheep is inside a box he cannot open.
It is his first science fiction film. He has been to Cannes in competition eight times. This is the one that got to him first. It is on limited screens beginning Thursday.
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