This film is part of Free

The Sheep Thief
An adolescent criminal finds redemption when he meets and helps a young mother and her family.
Overview
Tashan, a teenage street urchin, is physically branded after being caught stealing a sheep. Alone and destitute, he covers up the scar that marks him as criminal, before meeting Safia, a young mother who accepts his help and invites him into her family. The Sheep Thief is a powerful magic realist tale exploring the way experience shapes identity and whether individuals can ever change.
One of the best British shorts of the 1990s, Asif Kapadia's Royal College of Art graduation film boasts sumptuous cinematography and beautiful locations in Rajasthan.
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