Kore-eda's Cannes film on AI grief

Hirokazu Kore-eda brought a near-future story about grief and artificial intelligence to the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, when “Sheep in the Box” screened in competition, according to Reuters and the festival’s official program. The Japanese director’s new film imagines parents who have lost a child being offered a humanoid replacement designed to look identical to their son. (festival-cannes.com) Reuters reported that the film asks what happens when that AI develops interests beyond the family that adopted it. Cannes lists the film at 126 minutes and says the story follows Otone and her husband Kensuke after their child’s death. (festival-cannes.com) ### What is Kore-eda’s film actually about? Cannes says “Sheep in the Box” is set in the near future, where Otone and Kensuke, after losing their child, are offered a humanoid robot “totally identical” to their son. Reuters described the premise as a test of whether AI can ease grief and what follows when the recreated child begins to move beyond the role assigned to it. Festival materials identify Haruka Ayase as Otone, Daigo Komoto as Kensuke and Rimu Kuwaki as Kakeru. Cannes says Kore-eda directed the film and wrote it with Ryuto Kondo. (yahoo.com) ### Why did this stand out at Cannes this week? Reuters said the film put one of the festival’s oldest subjects — family loss — into direct contact with one of its newest anxieties, generative AI and machine autonomy. The questions in the Reuters report were framed in moral terms: whether recreating the dead is ethical and whether that comfort becomes another form of pain if the AI changes. (festival-cannes.com) Festival de Cannes said Kore-eda was in competition for the ninth time with this film and called it a new variation on themes that have run through much of his work, including loss and childhood. (festival-cannes.com) The festival’s article said this was the first time his work centered on a child who had been “constructed.” ### How was the premiere received? Variety reported on May 16 that “Sheep in the Box” received a 3.5-minute standing ovation after its Cannes premiere. The Hollywood Reporter separately reported a five-minute ovation, showing the usual variation in festival stopwatch counts, but both accounts described a warm reception in the room. (yahoo.com) Festival de Cannes published red-carpet and press-conference material for the film on May 16 and May 17, including appearances by Kore-eda, Ayase, Kuwaki and Daigo. (festival-cannes.com) Those official posts place the film squarely in the center of the festival’s competition schedule rather than only in the market. ### What did Cannes officials say about AI at the festival? Reuters reported that Cannes director Thierry Frémaux said on May 17 that talent remains the decisive factor, even as AI becomes more present in filmmaking and culture. (variety.com) In the Reuters account, his remarks came alongside discussion of Kore-eda’s film and wider industry concern about how far AI should shape creative work. The festival’s own published interview with Frémaux from March framed Cannes’ role in broader terms, saying its mission was “to define what cinema will be in 2026,” though that interview was not specifically about Kore-eda’s film. (festival-cannes.com) ### Where does this fit in Kore-eda’s career? Cannes says Kore-eda has won multiple awards at the festival and returned in 2026 with his 17th feature. The official festival note presents “Sheep in the Box” as a shift in setting and technology, but still rooted in family relationships, children and mourning. (yahoo.com) Screen Daily described the film as Kore-eda’s eighth competition title in 25 years, while Cannes’ own article called it his ninth time in competition. That discrepancy appears to reflect differing ways of counting festival appearances, but both sources place him among the festival’s most established recurring directors. (festival-cannes.com) ### What comes next at Cannes? The 79th Festival de Cannes runs from May 12 to May 23, according to the festival website. (festival-cannes.com) Cannes has already posted the May 17 press conference for “Sheep in the Box,” featuring Kore-eda and cast members, and the competition lineup will continue through the festival’s closing awards on May 23. (festival-cannes.com) (screendaily.com)