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Shepherds and Butchers

Shepherds and Butchers

Drama · 2017

A lawyer takes on a case of a prison guard in South Africa who is traumatized by the executions he's witnessed.

Movie details

Shepherds and Butchers

“Death belongs to God alone”

2017 Drama 1h 46m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

A lawyer takes on a case of a prison guard in South Africa who is traumatized by the executions he's witnessed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Shepherds and Butchers?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Oliver Schmitz

Steve Coogan

Steve Coogan

John Weber

Andrea Riseborough

Andrea Riseborough

Kathleen Marais

Garion Dowds

Garion Dowds

Leon Labuschagne

Marcel Van Heerden

Marcel Van Heerden

Justice J. P. van Zyl

Deon Lotz

Deon Lotz

Warrant Officer Rautenbach

E

Eduan van Jaarsveldt

Pedrie Wierda

Lauren Steyn

Lauren Steyn

Liesl Weber

Court is in session

Put Shepherds and Butchers on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.