The Shepherd is a 2023 British short film developed for Disney+. It is directed and written by Iain Softley and is based on the 1975 novella of the same name by Frederick Forsyth.
This is the second in trilogy of holiday shorts produced by Alfonso Cuarón. It was preceded by Le Pupille and followed by An Almost Christmas Story.
Synopsis[]
On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home gets lost mid-flight over water and needs a miracle to land safely.
Plot[]
In 1957 on Christmas Eve, British fighter pilot Freddie Hook calls his mother and sister to inform them that he will not be able to come home for Christmas, but that he should be back in a couple of weeks. By chance, one of his co-pilots is unable to fly home due to sustaining an injury and Freddie is allowed to fly in his place with his S.S.O. informing him that everything seems to be leaning in his favor. He is given proper instructions to fly over the North Sea from Celle to Lakenheath, as he will be cut off from base due to them shutting down for the holiday, and takes off in his De Havilland Vampire.
While flying over the North Sea, Freddie's compass suddenly starts acting up and he begins to suffer from electrical failure. He attempts to call for help, but cannot reach anyone. He starts to run low on fuel and begins to fly low and in triangular patterns, hoping to get anyone's attention. He starts thinking of his girlfriend Lizzie and writes a letter should no help arrive in time. After flying through what appears to be the aurora borealis, he suddenly spots a De Havilland Mosquito. The pilot in the Mosquito can communicate with Freddie, but he cannot answer back, forcing him to use his air signs. The pilot manages to help Freddie out and leads him to a landing pad before flying away.
Freddie is greeted by F.L. Joe Marks who drives him back to RAF Minton, which is ten miles away from Freddie's original destination RAF Merriam. The base has long been shut down and has been converted into a storage depot. While Mark tends to Freddie, Freddie spots a photo of the pilot who helped him, Johnny Kavanaugh, a Canadian pilot who was known for flying over the North Sea and into fog to help other pilots return home. When Freddie mentions that Johnny helped him, Marks informs him that that is not possible as Johnny died during the war in 1943.
Freddie exits the base where he is greeted by two other soldiers. He informs them that someone turned on the landing pad lights for him, but they tell him that the base has been left abandoned for years. Freddie realizes that the base is in total disrepair and the jeep he was driven in is completely destroyed. Shocked by the supernatural, yet miraculous events, Freddie hears Johnny's Mosquito fly overhead as he is lead away to safety by the soldiers.
Cast[]
- Ben Radcliffe as Freddie Hook
- John Travolta as Johnny Kavanaugh
- Steven Mackintosh as F.L. Joe Marks
- Millie Kent as Lizzie
- Simon Wilson as S.S.O.
- Iwan Bond as Dashwood
- Scarlet Grace as Sally Hook
- Claire Price as Mum/Jenny Hook
- Olatunji Ayofe as Jim/Controller
- Simon Lennon as Jack
- Jack Donoghue as Army Passenger
- Asan N'Jie as Army Jeep Driver
Video[]
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