God's Creatures is a 2022 psychological drama film directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer with the screenplay written by Shane Crowley, based on a story he wrote with producer Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly. It stars Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Toni O'Rourke, Marion O'Dwyer, Brendan McCormack, and Lalor Roddy. The film premiered at Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2022.
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| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by | Shane Crowley |
| Story by |
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| Produced by | Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Chayse Irvin |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
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| Language | English |
Plot edit
In a small remote Irish fishing village, Aileen (Watson) works as a shift manager at the local seafood processing plant alongside Mary (O'Dwyer), whose son Mark recently drowned at sea, and Sarah (Franciosi), a young woman experiencing marital troubles with her husband Francie (McCormack). At Mark's funeral reception, Aileen's estranged son Brian (Mescal) unexpectedly returns after a lengthy and unexplained move to Australia. While initially caught off-guard, Aileen is delighted to reunite her family together alongside husband Con (Conlon), daughter Erin (O'Rourke) with her newborn son, and elderly father-in-law Paddy (Roddy) who is in a vegetative state.
Brian remains vague about Australia, but expresses his intention to restart the family oyster trapping farm that was abandoned after his departure. Since Brian has no money or resources of his own, Aileen steals bags of oysters from the plant to seed his traps, which is witnessed by Sarah. The next day, local seafood supplier Francie is irate over missing oysters from his order. Aileen blames a lower worker, and finds Sarah heartbroken about her decision to separate from Francie.
At home, Con confronts Brian about stealing fish from others' traps and selling them himself. Brian storms off and later begins working for another fisherman. Aileen and Brian visit the local pub, where they notice Sarah arrive alone. Brian attempts to rekindle a former romantic relationship they shared in their teenage years, and Aileen returns home by herself.
The following day, fungus is discovered on the oysters at the processing plant and a moratorium is declared, devastating the community. Amidst the announcement, an already distressed Sarah faints unexpectedly. Aileen receives a call from the police stating that a sexual assault claim has been filed against Brian, who claims that he was at home with his mother the night of their bar outing. She lies to the officer confirming his alibi, and does not question Brian when they drive back home. Sarah goes missing from her shifts.
Erin visits Sarah, who confesses the events of the sexual assault following the bar encounter. Her story begins to leak around town, namely with the factory coworkers. Aileen, Brian, and Sarah are summoned to court, where Aileen testifies once more that she was home with Brian during the incident. The court throws out the case due to lack of physical evidence, much to the dismay of Sarah. When Sarah returns back to the processing plant, she is let go due to her repeated absences. On her way out she alludes to Aileen being the cause of Francie's missing oysters, and Aileen is sent home. At work, the coworkers begin to avoid Aileen, while in the village, Sarah is ostracized by the men.
As Aileen becomes haunted by the guilt from her actions, Paddy suddenly dies in his sleep. At the wake, Sarah makes an appearance and spits at Brian. Aileen stops Brian from retaliating. During the reception, an unaffected Brian is seen flirting with a younger girl, Emma, and Aileen steps in. Brian loses his temper, and a physical scuffle ensues between him and Con.
Following their fight, Brian sets out to the family's oyster plots accompanied with Aileen, who finally confronts him about his assault against Sarah. Brian dismisses her. Noticing the rising tide, Aileen returns back to the boat while the waves quickly overwhelm Brian, who drowns.
Afterwards, Aileen tells Sarah to stay in the village. Sarah decides that there is too much negative history plaguing her in the town, and drives off ready to start a new life.
Cast edit
- Emily Watson as Aileen O'Hara
- Paul Mescal as Brian O'Hara
- Aisling Franciosi as Sarah Murphy
- Declan Conlon as Con O'Hara
- Toni O'Rourke as Erin O'Hara
- Marion O'Dwyer as Marry Fitz
- Brendan McCormack as Francie D'Arcey
- Lalor Roddy as Paddy O'Hara
- Isabelle Connolly as Emma Daly
Production edit
God's Creatures was announced on 22 May 2019, when it was reported that Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer would direct a then-untitled gothic film produced by Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly.[3] In June 2020, it was announced that BBC Film, Screen Ireland, and the Western Region Audiovisual Producer's Fund (WRAP) would finance the project.[4] In May 2021, Emily Watson and Paul Mescal joined the cast. Crew members included production designer Inbal Weinberg, cinematographer Chayse Irvin, and editor Julia Bloch.[5]
Release edit
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2022.[6] It was released in the United States in theaters and on demand on 30 September 2022 by A24.[7] In January 2023, UK distribution rights were acquired by BFI Distribution from A24, with the BFI partnering with Volta Pictures to release the film in Ireland. The film was released theatrically in Ireland on 23 March 2023, followed by the United Kingdom on 31 March.[8]
Reception edit
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 93 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Painfully raw yet rewarding, God's Creatures explores the limits of a mother's love with an outstanding Emily Watson leading the way".[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Screen Rant gave it a 4-star rating. The header summary stated: "God's Creatures is an unnerving rural gothic tale with two quietly fierce performances that make the film's slow burn to its climax worth the wait."[11]
Accolades edit
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2022 | Best Lead Performance | Emily Watson | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Supporting Performance | Paul Mescal | Nominated | |||
| Aisling Franciosi | Nominated | ||||
| Best Original Music | Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans | Nominated | |||
| Best Debut Screenwriter | Shane Crowley | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ BBFC. "God's Creatures". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (19 May 2022). "'God's Creatures' Review: Emily Watson and Paul Mescal Put Maternal Loyalties to the Test in a Potent Irish Tragedy". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (22 May 2019). "Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis to Co-Direct Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly-Produced Gothic Drama (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ McCarthy, Esther (10 June 2020). "Ireland's WRAP Fund backs BBC Films' God's Creatures, horror title The Ten Steps". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (11 May 2021). "Emily Watson And Normal People Star Paul Mescal To Headline in A24 in Psychological Drama God's Creatures". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Grater, Tom (19 April 2022). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2022 Lineup Unveiled: Alex Garland, Mia Hansen-Løve, Alice Winocour On List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (16 August 2022). "God's Creatures: First Official Trailer For A24's Psychological Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (18 January 2023). "BFI Distribution Acquires Emily Watson & Paul Mescal Pic 'God's Creatures' For UK Release, Partners With Volta Pictures For Ireland". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "God's Creatures". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "God's Creatures". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Guttmann, Graeme (30 September 2022). "God's Creatures Review: Intense & Unsettling Gothic That Takes Its Time". Screen Rant. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (4 November 2022). "British Independent Film Awards: 'Aftersun,' 'Blue Jean' & 'The Wonder' Lead Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
