Criaturas de Dios

In dark, slow-burn Irish drama "God's Creatures" Paul Mescal returns from years in Australia to his fishing village home & family inc overjoyed ma Emily Watson (always solid), stoic da Declan Conlon & feisty sis Toni O'Rourke. But when Mescal's one-time gf Aisling Franciosi (good) accuses him of rape, and Watson lies to provide an alibi to get him off, a shadow falls over them all. Written (by Shane Crowley) & directed (by Saela Davis & Anna Rose Holmer) in deliberately & appropriately moody style it's evocative work, portraying a community & values seemingly of a different time & place to our own. While no adrenaline pumper, it's fine drama for those in the mood.

A movie I found hard to rate. There are things I liked a lot in it.

The atmosphere of the small Irish fishing community, all grey skies, dour faces, dramatic waves crashing to the shore. Yeah, I'm a sucker for that.

The actors were very strong, as you can imagine with Emily Watson and Paul Mescal leading your cast. There's a very interesting story told here, about just how far a mother's love can go. Mescal is a never do well, but in the eyes of Watson he's the bees knees. Until something happens that even she can't deny.

It's a very interesting story, something I've not seen a lot in other movies. And yet... I was so disappointed by the way it was all handled. Sometimes a movie can be too subtle. I felt some important scenes were left on the cutting room floor. I needed more closure, some dramatic fits, anything really!

I know subtlety is a good thing and not everything needs to be spelled out...but you gotta give us something!

God's Creatures has an atmospheric setting and a great cast. But one huge flaw in the script fatally holes this ship below the waterline.

Brian returns from an extended sojourn to Australia and his mother Aileen is overjoyed. In fact, she is so happy that she fails to consider why her prodigal son was considered prodigal in the first place. In the scene where Brian appears, it is pointed out that he made no contact while in Australia, and no one even knew what city or town he was in.

Now, that is fine for that scene, but the question of what Brian did during his time in Australia is never re-visited. He meets old schoolmates, a bartender who is enamoured with him, but absolutely no one broaches the topic of Australia. This bizarre omission undermines all the work done to create an authentic sense of place and people. And it would be an easy fix, by, for example, having Brian tell contradictory versions to two people.

Whether it was not discussed in script development, or written but not shot, or shot but left out of the final cut, I do not know. But that egregious misfire in the creative process ruins what could have been an immersive, enjoyable cinema outing.

Emily Watson should be your sole reason to see this movie. You feel her in every moment she's on screen A masterclass in acting.

Paul mescal once again gives a brooding performance as her angry/repressed son.

The movie presents the idea of choices one makes when faced with a difficult scenario.

Do you put on a mask and protect a loved one, Even though your instincts say otherwise?

Or do you finally accept their true nature and do what is right or in her case, What's necessary, when they are immune to consequences.

It's a slow burn. I feel it could've been stronger in the script department and more depth on character motivations, perhaps a bit more detail on what may or may not have happened. The way Last Duel handled that subject matter.

The dad son conflict is sort of there. A fight happens and then oh well next.

Wonderfully dark and moody though . Good for a rainy afternoon/evening.

What would you do, if you had to be untrue, to yourself and all you know, to retain the status quo, stop the waves from crashing down, keep from letting those close drown, hold the tidal swell at bay, what would be, the price you'd pay?

It's a very slow burn and if you're not in tune with the setting and the circumstance (maybe you don't like oysters) then you'll more than likely struggle to keep your head above water for more than half of it, but the performances are sound, especially Emily Watson who seldom disappoints, and it may leave you asking a few questions about what you would do in a similar scenario to the one presented, or indeed whether you accept the events played out as a possible reality at all.