“We’re all God’s creatures in the dark.” It’s a mysterious, yet resonant, sentiment, a pebble of wisdom about humanity that one might roll over again and again, worrying its surface. This line — which gives Anna Rose Holmer and Saela Davis the title of their intimate family drama “God’s Creatures,” set in a blustery Irish fishing village — is one of the life lessons Sarah (Aisling Franciosi, “The Nightingale”She has accumulated a lot of wealth in her short, hard life. It is something she shares with Aileen Watson (Emily Watson), her friend, and manager at a fish processing facility, over a cigarette.
Sarah refers to Francie (Brendan McCormack), her abusive ex. “Ondine”Aileen hears her speak, but the opaque statement that she makes to Aileen blurs the line between dark and divine. It is an insight that is at once profound, ambiguous, cutting and prophetic. “God’s Creatures”This becomes a suspense thriller with subtly striking suspense.
Holmer & Davis collaborated in 2015 on the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Holmer & Davis. “The Fits,”About a young girl who joins a Cincinnati dance troupe. The film stars Royalty hightower, a newcomer to the scene. Holmer was the director, while Davis edited, produced and contributed to this story. For “God’s Creatures,”This brilliant, evocative sophomore effort is a collaboration of longtime friends.
Holmer and Davis have demonstrated remarkable control over tone and performance in Ohio and in a windswept Irish fishing community. They also apply their sensibility to Shane Crowley’s taut script. (Producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly shares a story-by credit.)
Crowley’s screenplay is beautifully layered and surgically precise in its foreshadowing and mirroring, supported by an intelligent edit by Jeanne Applegate and Julia Bloch, and cinematography by Chayse Irvin. Because of its structure and restraint the screenplay allows the patient’s camera movements and striking sound design (rattling oysters, primal drumbeats) to speak what isn’t said.
“God’s Creatures”This is the story about a prodigal child, Brian (Paul Mescal). “Normal People”After an extended trip in Australia, he returned to his small Irish town. Uncertain of his activities there and whereabouts on the continent Down Under, it is unclear what. One thing is certain: he is attempting to take over the oyster license that his grandfather Paddy (Lalor Roddy), has owned. “Hunger”He now has dementia. Aileen, his mother, is delighted to see him. She packs him a lunch and takes him to the oyster fields in the bay.
The pub is a happy place where mother and son dance and enjoy a drink. Later, scenes at the same pub will be filled with tension and fear as Aileen starts to awaken to what’s been lying underneath the culture of this small town, where men haul the catch in and the women clean it up. She has defended this patriarchy her whole life.
The windswept seaside cliffs, the misogynistic society, Emily Watson’s deeply expressive eyes: “God’s Creatures” can’t help but call to mind Lars von Trier’s 1995 film “Breaking the Waves,”Watson was nominated for Best Actress Academy Award for her first film role. But now, she is no longer the naïf but a village elder, a mother, well-respected in her community and a leader among the tight-knit community of women at work. Everything begins to change when Brian, her gorgeous, mysterious son, returns. Brian is a charming, unknowable, and sometimes even monstrous rogue.
Aileen, who is the core of the film and the point-of view around which the story revolves, is Aileen’s support and backbone. Sarah, the fragile Sarah, and Brian, are Aileen’s mirrors and help her see the society in which it all happens. Franciosi’s raw emotion and stunning singing voice render Sarah a tragic broken bird that Aileen realizes she must save. Mescal’s quietly brooding appeal starts to turn sour as the film progresses, as Aileen opens her mind to different perspectives.
The key component to success is perspective “God’s Creatures,” and Holmer and Davis keep us locked in with Aileen exclusively until it’s time to pass the torch. This filmmaking skill is extraordinary, as well as the mastery of suspense and storytelling. Irvin’s camera pushes in on characters with long, insistent zooms, picking certain people out of the landscape and bringing our eye to them, creating a sense of ominousness and foreboding pressure. This sense of place and tension is emphasized in the music (by Danny Bensi & Saunder Juriaans), and sound design. From the Irish folk songs to drums, strings, and beats that create a tribal, wild sound, it’s all underlined by the sound design.
An opening shot of the black, rippling water that givesth and takes away from this village. “God’s Creatures”This powerful reminder is that the depths below can be devastating and deadly, but it also offers a way to escape for those who dare to go beneath.
“God’s Creatures”The film opens in U.S. theaters, and online Friday, Sept. 30, via the A24.