OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews
The Sheep Detectives (PG). 109 minutes. Now showing in
cinemas.
A surprisingly deft blend of family film (in the tradition of Babe) and Agatha Christie style murder
mystery, this is one of those genuinely rare birds that will captivate both children and adults.
Hugh Jackman plays George, a gentle farmer who lives in the kind of gorgeous countryside one
can only dream about. Residing in a mobile home, George takes care of a herd of sheep, and
performs an unusual ritual by reading mystery stories to them each night. What George doesn’t
realise is that the animals understand everything he is saying, and they are enthralled, wanting
to solve who the culprit is in each story. Always coming to the right conclusion is Lily (voiced by
Julia Louis-Dreyfus). When George is found dead, the sheep take it upon themselves to find out
who committed the murder, and seem a step ahead of small town officer Tim Derry (Nicholas
Braun). Things become complicated when American Rebecca (Molly Gordon) and lawyer Lydia
(Emma Thompson) arrive on the scene. The script by Craig Mazin, who began his career
penning awful comedies like RocketMan (1997), Scary Movie 4 (2006) and Identity Thief (2013),
before moving on to much better projects like Chernobyl (2019) and The Last Of Us (2023),
knows how to engage various age groups without forsaking quality writing, combining charm,
humour and mystery to successful effect. The material is then well-handled by director Kyle
Balda, showing a more measured hand than his previous efforts, such as The Lorax (2012),
Minions (2015) and Despicable Me 3 (2017). Jackman is terrific in what is fairly limited screen
time, while Thompson is fine as usual. The voice cast are all excellent, as are the visual effects.
The Sheep Detectives, while not as good as the recent Hoppers, is a standout example of family
entertainment.
RATING – ***1/2
Obsession (MA). 108 minutes. Now showing in cinemas.
After creating a large fanbase with his striking short films, Curry Barker makes the jump to
feature films with Obsession, and it is a confident, impressive debut. Michael Johnston stars as
Baron (who also goes by the nickname Bear), who along with friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson),
Nikki (Inde Navarrette) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), all work at the same music store, run by
Sarah’s dad Carter (Andy Richter). Baron has had a lifelong crush on Nikki, and wants to ask
her out, but can’t build up the courage to do so. When Nikki loses her crystal necklace, Baron
goes to a local wellness/healing energy shop to buy a new one for her, but instead walks out
with something called a One Wish Willow. On the box, it says make a wish, break the toy in half,
and the wish will come true. Baron wishes Nikki would fall in love with him, but what happens
next is anything but a dream come true. While the premise seems like something out of
Creepshow or Tales From The Crypt, editor/writer/director Barker uses it as a foundation to
explore various themes, but mainly looks at toxic relationships and male coercive control. While
a dark sense of humour permeates throughout, as Baron’s behaviour and decisions become
more and more inexcusable, the story becomes nastier, with some perfectly timed moments of
startling violence. Johnson is excellent as Baron, convincingly turning what initially appears like
a likably awkward person into an unnerving representation of the worst of male entitlement. I
don’t know if it was intentional on the part of Barker, but Johnston’s facial expressions,
mannerisms and hair (especially after a haircut) reminded me of horror icon Bruce Campbell.
Barker regular Tomlinson is funny, if a bit one note, as Ian, while Lawless is endearing as Sarah.
The film, however, is stolen by Navarrette, who is simply extraordinary as Nikki. As her character
is increasingly forced into a hideously controlled mindset, Navarrette brilliantly executes a
multitude of memorable moments, ranging from hilarious to horrific. The ending is satisfying and
meaningful. The one main quibble for me was that Barker the director isn’t strict enough on
Barker the editor, allowing the film to go on longer than is necessary, with the latter portion
feeling somewhat protracted (I had the same issue with his short film, Milk & Serial). Obsession,
like the outstanding recent films The Plague and Undertone, offers dramatic material with horror
elements, and with its stylish visuals and effective sound design, should be seen on the big
screen. The short films of Barker that I have seen, Heavy Eyes (2022, 5 minutes) (), The Chair (2023, 24 minutes) (), Enigma (2023, 19 minutes) (**1/2), Warnings (2023, 20minutes) (1/2) and Milk & Serial (2024, 62 minutes) (1/2) are all solid or better, and are readily available on YouTube. A couple certainly show he is a fan of Richard Kelly (Donnie
Darko, Southland Tales, The Box).
RATING – ****