CANNES – Despite the passage of time, very little has changed over the decades in the small Irish fishing village depicted in “God’s Creatures.” There is work. There is family. Everyone knows each other at the local pub and, as with most small towns, the young people tend to leave and settle in more populous areas as soon as they can. Sometimes though, those adventurers return. And for Aileen O’Hara (Emily Watson), that means a reunion with an adult son, Brian (Paul Mascal), who is simply her everything.
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Debuting in the Director’s Fortnight selection at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, it would be fair to recognize that despite some striking seafaring work from cinematographer Chayse Irvin, the Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer-helmed drama feels narratively similar to other cinematic working-class tales (not necessarily a bad thing). Case in point, Aileen works at a small fish processing plant where she has risen to the level of a supervisor. That’s a sliver of extra responsibility, but not enough where she can’t share a cig break with the other women who slice and dice the fish all day. Her everyday routine is through a curveball, however, when Brian returns out of the blue following seven long years in Australia. Strangely, he never gives a convincing reason why he’s come back or speaks at all of his time on the distant continent. And the fact his father (Decan Colon) can barely stomach shaking his hand, hints of something very troubled between them. But, on the flip side, Brian’s arrival is something of a miracle for Aileen who dotes on him like a golden child.
Looking for a new career, Brian soon reveals his intention to take over the Oyster farm the family still has rights to off the coast. It’s been mostly abandoned since Brian’s dementia-suffering grandfather (Lalor Roddy) was forced to retire. Still, the often charismatic Brian somehow still connects with the patriarch in a way no one else in their shared home can. It also becomes apparent early on that Aileen will simply go above and beyond for her son. Despite a long career at the plant, she risks her position by stealing some harvesting equipment that Brian needs to bring the farm back up to speed (a decision that puts one of her co-workers under marked suspicion).
When Brian takes his mother out to the pub one evening to dance, a bit of a Jocasta complex comes into play as Aileen simply fawns over her son more than you’d comfortably expect. And when Brian’s attention begins to focus on her younger co-worker Sarah (Aisling Franciosi), her disappointment is painfully apparent. She leaves the pair at the establishment and returns home unaware all three of their lives will be the worse for it.
The following day Sarah is a no-show at work and it becomes clear something has gone terribly wrong. What happens next finds Aileen having to come to terms with who her son truly is and whether or not she can stomach staying silent. Especially when the authorities begin to investigate.
Based on an original story by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and written by Shane Crowley, “God’s Creatures” is at its best a portrait of a small town where a code of honor trumps all. And, worse, a patriarchal community where women who have been assaulted are often not believed. This scenario is depicted with nuance and a real-world frankness that is often disheartening, but at times feels like a narrative mechanism to dissect Aileen and Brian’s relationship.
While the entire cast is superb, it’s the rich performances from Watson and Mescal who elevate the material beyond that aforementioned air of familiarity. Especially when Aileen makes a decision that, on the surface, many may find hard to believe. [B-]
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