The Sheep Detectives is an equal parts somber and cheery mystery whodunnit revolving around a flock of literal sheep. From beginning to end, this adaptation of the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann relishes in the blissful simplicities of life; topics of death, bravery, togetherness, and goodness blossom in this wool-warmed display of love, loyalty, clever problem-solving, and fairly funny banter as these sheep see their lives flipped in mere hours.

In the English countryside outside Denbrook, loving shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) lives in an RV on a small patch farmland where he dedicates his time to a flock of sheep. Though there are many named and memorable sheep, the main ones are Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a Shetland sheep that’s the flock’s smartest and its de facto leader; Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), a Merino sheep; and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), a loner black Icelandic Leader sheep who keeps distance from everyone else. There’s also a winter-born lamb (Tommy Birchall) whose outside-spring birthing is enough for everyone else to ostracize and tease the little lad. With nothing but great care and affection from George—whether through his careful grooming work on all of them or his reading them murder mystery novels daily, as they can all understand him—they mostly live in willful ignorance, because the sheep can forget entire moments or people fully, deliberately forgetting anything traumatic that happens to them. Except for Mopple (and perhaps Sebastian), none of them remember what death, suffering, pain, or anything other than green-fielded happiness looks like.

The sheep are mildly aware of George’s dramas in town and those he has relationships with, but they presume none of it will affect them—until, suddenly, stained in blue and green on his hands, he lies dead mere yards away from his RV. As the town’s lone cop, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) traces the killer, an out-of-town reporter, Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), catches wind, and others around town who knew George—including his long lost daughter, Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), who was put up for adoption alongside her separated twin brother, Peter, after their mother died in childbirth—Lily takes the lead in solving George’s murder given she always determined the killer in past murder mystery readings. Unfortunately for her and the rest, to solve his case, they must face death, the world, the true meaning of goodness, and what it takes to live in prosperity, even without George.

What did death look like when you were a kid? What story did you get taught by your parents or others? Is it a long vacation, a permanent nap, a trip across the rainbow bridge? Whatever it may be, most kids aren’t taught how to grasp death at a young age. It’s either something too far off to worry about or something too foreign to the stereotypical paradise of childhood. For these sheep, death means turning “into a cloud.” Pretty neat, eh? Hard not to think that way, either, when your entire life is composed of endless greenery, pristine sky- and water-blues, and constant love, affection, and murder-mystery story-timing from a loving caretaker. Lily, initially, leads this flock through the blissful ignorance of deathless life—until, all of a sudden, her rock lies motionless, killed by some unknown assailant. But of course, she doesn’t know that at first: “I think he’s [George] playing a game,” she tells her all-remembering companion Mopple, whose heavy-weighted posture and drooped gaze at his former shepherd says all before he even says a word. Yet, unlike the rest of the flock, when she informs them of their master’s death, she feels wrong in partaking in their immediate reaction to not just forget George’s death, but George in entirety. She feels her first sense of life’s hard truths, and, for some reason, she cannot let them go. Ignorance can no longer be bliss, at least for Lily. She’s started seeing the world as Mopple silently sees it.

Before any of the flock can forget, Sebastian, despite decades of myriad disappearances and constant silence, finally joins in. Stomping forth with something of a veteran’s wisdom, he explains the vitality of remembering: “You can’t just forget him [George]…. You have to remember him… because remembering him is just.” Of course, in paradise, these sheep know nothing of being “just,” but Sebastian explains before carrying Lily and Mopple through most of The Sheep Detectives’ duration with justice-driven bravery, loyalty, understanding of all (especially towards the ostracized winter lamb for reasons not to be spoiled here), and genuine honor in his defending George’s memory and the flock he left behind. As their world quickly changes with new land ownership, the mystery thickens with a supposed will that touts £30 million for an heir, and the true colors of those local and from out of town bleed, Lily continues to be thrown into morally gray or downright dangerous situations where ignorance simply cannot remain the answer.

True justice, according to Sebastian and (hopefully) eventually Lily, means facing life in its entirety. Sheep or human, the only way to get to the bottom of George’s murder is to redefine what it means to be a living, sentient being. We all have responsibilities towards those we love to cherish and care for them as they do in return; we must honor their memory by bringing forth that same pure heart to everyone they teach us to utilize. No one can get left behind in experiencing these ups and downs, as the hardships can sometimes only be gotten through with others, with the joys all the richer with those same, love-knows-no-bounds kinda bonds. Though general story beats are a bit predictable and much of the humor feels more cute than laughable, The Sheep Detectives is a magnetic, humblingly transcribed, and picturesque murder mystery whodunnit that relishes in life’s beauties even when things feel ugly. For families, lighthearted but clever murder mystery lovers, fans of any member of this star-studded cast, and those looking for something that’s bound to make you cry both happy and sad tears, The Sheep Detectives is a wool-stuffed adventure through cozy pastures and heartfelt lessons.

In theaters now—get tickets @ Alamo Drafthouse Boston Seaport, Apple Cinemas, Capitol Theatre, Cinema Salem, Landmark’s Kendall Square, Maynard Fine Arts Theatre, Patriot Cinemas, and West Newton Cinema