FANTASIA 2020: Sheep Without A Shepherd
TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of rape, murder
FANTASIASam Quah’s debut feature, the crime thriller Sheep Without a Shepherd opens with Pingping (Audrey Hui) as she begs her parents to let her attend a camp for gifted students. Reluctantly her mother and father agree despite the considerable expense. Pingping is especially distant from her father, Weijie (Xiao Yang), mostly due to just being a teenage girl, so he tries everything to connect with his daughter. Weijie’s chance to prove himself as a father comes when Pingping’s trip takes a heartbreaking turn, she is drugged and raped by Suchat (Bian TianYang), the powerful son of a local politician and the police chief.
During a confrontation, Pingping and her mother Ayu (Tan Zhao) accidentally kill Suchat when Pingping hits the back of his head with a garden hoe. Weijie takes the coverup into his own hands, he knows that because of Suchat’s social status, Pingping will be jailed despite being the actual victim. While he was never formally educated, Weijie is a smart man because of his love of film, he often brags to his friends that he has seen over 1000 movies.
Weijie’s love of movies is a nod to fellow film buffs, those interested in the true-crime genre often criticize the actions of the perpetrators, giving suggestions on what they would do better. This is the mindset Weijie uses to help his own family, he believes that he will be successful in his efforts because he has seen the perfect crime in the movies. Weijie uses his extensive knowledge of crime thrillers to piece together the perfect way to evade arrest. Using his meticulous studying of these films he hides all of the evidence and helps his family members craft the perfect alibi, even his youngest daughter An-an (Zhang Xiran) becomes involved in the conspiracy.
Sheep Without a Shepherd is especially thrilling because it deals with the aftermath of a murder from the side of the perpetrator. The film blurs the line between killer and victim, while the Thai police force is one-sided in their hunt for Suchat. His mother (Joan Chen) is the police chief, and her motherly instincts and requirement to be professional begin to clash as she suspects Weijie’s family. This theme of the film is especially timely with the reckoning police forces are facing with the defund the police movement. In Sheep Without a Shepherd, the police use any means necessary to coax confessions out of Weijie and his family, using manipulative interrogation tactics and even engaging in police brutality.
Along with the compelling story, the acting by the entire cast of Sheep Without a Shepherd is especially striking. Each member of Weijie’s family give brilliant performances, the deep love they have for each other and undying loyalty is at the heart of the film. Even the youngest cast member Zhang Xiran delivers intense emotion during the film’s brutalist scene. Chen also gives a powerful performance as the police chief, she is forceful and stoic but shows fear for her son when she is alone.
Even though Weijie is an avid movie buff, the Sheep Without a Shepherd never feels predictable as the police pull at the threads of Weijie’s cover-up. The film does falter in the final few scenes as it struggles to effectively wrap-up the ending. But with astonishing cinematography by Ying Zhang that shifts between colours of greens, blues, and yellows, the brilliant acting by every single cast member, and Yang Weiwei’s wonderful script adaption from Jeetu Joseph’s film Drishyam, Sheep Without a Shepherd becomes an irresistible watch.