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Remarkably Bright Creatures, directed by Olivia Newman, breathes life into a story about grief, hope, and the philosophical musings of an octopus. Adapting from the novel of the same name by Shelby Van Pelt, this heartwarming film delivers both laughter and tears, but unfortunately falls short with uneven pacing and the predictability of its plot.
Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus voiced by Alfred Molina, is a resident of the aquarium in Sowell Bay, Washington. Through his narration, we learn of his high intelligence and attitude toward humans, which is generally unfavorable, except to the cleaning lady of the aquarium. This is Tova Sullivan, played by Sally Field, an elderly widow who mostly keeps to herself, but is prone to sharing her thoughts with Marcellus as she works. Tova leads a quiet and lonely life, grieving not only her husband but also her son, Erik, who passed in his teen years in a tragic accident. Marcellus is the framing device for this film, narrating throughout and occasionally aiding to suddenly move the plot forward, but the audience really sees everything through Tova’s eyes, with frequent flashbacks to time spent with her son. Not only do they bond from their one-sided conversations, but Marcellus pledges to heal the hole in Tova’s heart when she saves him after he escapes his tank.
New to town is Cameron Cassmore, played by Lewis Pullman, a thirty-something who lives in his RV and is looking for someone in Sowell Bay. Needing quick cash to pay for repairs on his van, he starts working at the aquarium in the same capacity as Tova, only she must teach him the proper way to clean. This starts the pair off on their unlikely friendship and eventually, they find that despite their differences, they can open up to each other about who they have lost. With a delicate discovery made near the end of the film, it becomes clear that fate brought Marcellus, Tova, and Cameron together to make lifelong connections and find joy where there has been only grief.
This film succeeds at pulling at the heartstrings of the audience, almost in excess at times, but wrestles with a plotline larger than it can handle. I could see it working more as a novel, where character arcs and backstory would be given proper time to get fleshed out. Some transitions between scenes were quite shaky, happening very quickly and with not much information. This is often where Marcellus’ narration would enter, although sometimes it felt redundant and didn’t trust the audience to understand the plot developments on their own. The side characters were charming but only showed up either for comedic relief or to deliver crucial information. This actually highlights my main problem with the film, being that it could not decide if it wanted to stick to a quirky or somber tone. Don’t get me wrong, I love when a film plays around with genre, but the tonal shifts were generally not handled smoothly. Because this is an adaptation of a novel, I am stuck wondering what was changed or cut to make the film and perhaps, what could have made it better. Remarkably Bright Creatures does stick the landing in its final ten minutes or so, making up for its indecisiveness and ending on a hopeful note.
For KSQD’s Film Gang, I’m Isa Cortez.
