Neurodivergence and purpose in The Sheep Detectives

I don’t usually talk about popular culture on this website, but The Sheep Detectives just did one of the most original takes on neurodivergence I’ve seen in fiction.

For background, the movie is about a group of sheep who take it upon themselves to solve the murder of their beloved shepherd (Hugh Jackman).

In the world of this movie, sheep have the ability to deliberately forget any information or experience. We see the characters do this with experiences they find too painful, frightening, or confusing. This type of forgetting can range from harmless to deadly depending on which memories they discard.

The ram Mopple, voiced with bumbling charm by Chris O’Dowd, cannot do this. This is not merely disability coded; it is stated outright: “He was born with a terrible affliction. He cannot choose to forget.” There is an important part of Mopple’s culture in which he cannot participate, and he was born with the reason why not.

As Mopple trots along after protagonist Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the significance of this rears above the fold: Mopple remembers unpleasant arguments and conflicts that help Lily find the murderer’s motive. When two sheep take shelter in what turns out to be a slaughterhouse, Mopple recognizes the danger first, giving them time to get away.

Scientists have speculated that gay and lesbian humans exist in the population because, in ancient situations, fully realized adults who produced food but did not reproduce increased the survival rates of their siblings’ and cousins’ children. Similarly, people speculate that not everyone in the band needs to be hyper-aware of every sound and smell or obsessively recall the exact shade of yellow-green in every poisonous plant. One person hears the twig snap, and that’s enough. In this film, Mopple not only provides neurodivergent representation, he hammers down this point: Because he can’t, his flock does.

Another character, rescue sheep Sebastian (Bryan Cranston at his most cantankerous), is capable of losing memories but never does. He retains all of his violent backstory because he considers forgetting it an injustice to the people who helped him escape. Though he may not be aware of it, the experiences give him both courage and compassion.

Mopple keeps his memories because of a genetic crap shoot, but, to Sebastian, remembering is a decision. In all non-emergency situations, Mopple expends noticeable energy downplaying his difference to keep the other sheep from feeling uncomfortable. Sebastian treats forgetting with contempt and confronts the flock when they let go of meaningful parts of their past.

Through the film, it is usually Sebastian, not the unassuming Mopple, who goads the other sheep to action and points out the value of difficult memories, but it is more often Mopple who uses those memories effectively.

The movie is called The Sheep Detectives, with the plural S anchoring the point. Lily does not solve George’s murder on her own. Nearly every member of the flock contributes something to finding the killer. By the end, it’s neither Mopple nor Sebastian who takes pride of place. The crisis of the day needed both of them.