Koreeda Probes Memory and AI in Cannes Drama Sheep in the Box

At Cannes, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box follows a grieving couple who adopt an AI surrogate of their dead son. The review argues the film is emotionally restrained and more about our impulse to outsource feeling than the bereavement itself, with its strongest moments when the robo-child asserts a sense of agency. Koreeda critiques relying on technology to handle memory and suggests humanity’s future depends on tending memory and imagination, even as AI enters intimate space. Neon will release it later in 2026; grade: B-.