Rating: 4 / 5 ☆☆☆☆
Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer’s psychological drama, God’s Creatures premiered in Cannes 2022, and released in the UK and Ireland in March 2023. With recently Oscar nominated Paul Mescal taking on the role of Brian, the son returned to Ireland after a long period without contact. His mother, Aileen, played by Academy nominated an BAFTA winning actress Emily Watson, is forced to confront the limit of the love she has for her son.
*Spoilers ahead*
The film is set in a small, atmospheric fishing village in Ireland. Opening with the death of a local, a man who lived by the ocean but never learnt to swim fearing knowing how would bring bad luck - the movies tone is set immediately. This dedication to tradition and to their town taking precedent over logic.
Paul Mescal gives a stunning performance. He portrays the emotionally stunted male figure - who came home clearly when things didn’t work out for him abroad. No please or thank you, just immediately slotting himself back into his parents lives - now that he needs them again. It’s quiet and unmentioned, but on reflection traces of his entitlement are scattered throughout.
His inability to feel remorse or empathy is given to us through the way way he speaks to his disabled grandfather when they are alone - leaving the audience no choice but to believe the allegations against him - meaning when Aileen lies for her son, it is infuriating as an audience member to watch. Even later, when his victim, Sarah has clearly been suffering from the trauma of her experience, Brian is still laughing. It is an understated performance that creates a realistic insight into the world of someone capable of committing sexual violence. The casting of Paul Mescal is spot on - in the context of him being the internets boyfriend - to subvert our exopectations and show that even the lovable guy can turn out to be capable of sexual violence is exactly the point of the movie - and allows the audience (who if anything like me, love Paul mescal) to feel how his mother feels - conflicted in the light of this side of him - her love for him slowly deminishing as she realises who he really is.
Emily Watson gives a stand out performance as Aileen. The soul shatteringly accurate portrayal of an inner turmoil I can only imagine having to experience. When she first lied to the police I was angry at her, believed immediately that she was a bad person, anti-feminist. But the pacing of the story and the intricacies of her performance gave me pause, allowed me to resonate more with the complexity fo the issue. I could see in her face the difficulty she faced in realising her son was not a good man, in recognising her own fault in the matter.
The story is of a mothers love and how unconditional love for your children can have its limits. It is also a story about how as an older woman, Aileen is the product of her time, the mother and wife, dutiful to the men in her life even when they hurt her. Her father in law, when she is trying to help him, hits her. She continued to help dress him. It is proof again of the stories theme, how we as people are burdened by our upbringing and have to free ourselves if we are ever going to make it. By the end, Aileen is finally freed from the burden of forgiving and making excuses for these men when she realises the pain her son has caused is irrefutable and what she did by lying is unforgivable. Sarah, too is freed. The long shot at the end of her driving through the town, she is clearly lighter than she had been, happier.
Though I think in some places the story could have been faster, perhaps some motifs less on the nose - ultimately it was extremely poignant and affective - and a story I had not seen told before.
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