Review by
Blair MacBride
Directed by: Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis
Starring: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Marion O’Dwyer, Toni O’Rourke
In a coastal Irish fishing village, factory floor manager Aileen (Emily Watson)
lives the normal small-town existence. Her community is particularly
tight-knit, not only as long-term work colleagues, but also as neighbours
and friends. Consequently, the locale is hit hard after the death of
another one of its fisherman sons, and a wake is held in his memory at the
local pub. Despite the sombre circumstances, out of the blue, Aileen is
overjoyed with the sudden return of her estranged son Brian (Paul Mescal). Having been away on an unexplained spell of "travelling" for some time
- and not in contact for what appears to be even longer - Aileen
understandably takes great joy in having her only son back home. They even
begin to rekindle what was once a clearly close relationship. This
contentment is short lived, however, when one of Aileen's close
co-workers, Sarah (Aisling Franciosi), accuses Brian of a heinous
sexual assault. Plagued with instinctual maternal protection, Aileen is
forced to question her loyalties as a mother.
Taking place against the backdrop of murky waters, blustery conditions and
the stunningly jagged terrain, every aspect of the creative process gels
together seamlessly in God's Creatures. Co-directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer execute
extraordinary orchestration over all the crucial elements to their heavy
hitting new project; especially in light of this being the former's
directorial debut. From the perfectly handled tone, to the progressively
gripping tension, their work oozes class. Additionally, it complements the
well-crafted script by Shane Crowley very aptly (Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
also is credited for the story alone).
Indeed, this feature has its tone set from the beginning after some
ominous opening minutes, and Crowley's multi-layered script begins to
showcase the archaic ideals of the old remote village. Not only this, but
the film's narrative slow-burns to a gratifyingly muted crescendo despite
its minimal dramatics, taking great care in handling the extremely
sensitive subject matter.
Tribute should also be paid to the trifecta of striking performances from
Watson, Mescal and Franciosi. Watson, a seasoned award nominated veteran,
is brilliant as the conflicted Aileen. Her ability to convey the
character's inner battle of conscience with every frame is exceptional.
Mescal is as good as ever in his chilling role too, but it's Franciosi's
portrayal of Sarah's real side of the story - the raw, emotionally
charged, truthful account of events that most in the village pejoratively
ignore - which is the more memorable out of the two.
Further to that, Chayse Irvin's harrowing cinematography and the
score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are both
excellently placed for this atmospheric project. It's true that
God's Creatures already benefits from a great deal of
filmmaking prowess. The stellar performances and intricate writing are
elevated, however, with the stunning visual and eerily aural storytelling.
The tension within sequences is refreshed and enhanced thanks to clever
camera shots and a sinister strings-led score.
As such, God's Creatures is a powerful, richly
thought-provoking film. You do have to bear with the slower nature of
storytelling; audiences will need to exercise patience with its unhurried
pacing to appreciate the full effect of the piece. Nevertheless, this
shouldn't detract from the film's impactful lasting footprint on the mind.
God's Creatures is on BFI Player now.
