‘God’s Creatures’ review: a slow-building meditation on masculinity and morality
Anna Rose Holmer has teamed up with Saela Davis to direct her second feature film, God’s Creatures, a slow-burning meditation on masculinity, family ties and moral dilemmas. Set in a remote Irish village, the movie’s insular world slowly unravels over two hours, exposing the cracks bubbling not so far below society’s surface.
The film opens with shots of uneasy sea waves, which quickly take a young man prisoner. Starting on a bleak note, we meet the film’s characters at the man’s funeral. There’s Aileen, played marvellously by Emily Watson, her daughter Erin, and Sarah, a young colleague of Aileen’s from the seafood processing plant. However, the event marks the arrival of Brian, Aileen’s son, portrayed by Paul Mescal in yet another stellar performance from the recent Oscar nominee. Having just returned from an unexplained absence in Australia, Aileen is delighted to be reunited with her son, who quickly lands himself an oyster-harvesting job.
However, the brooding atmosphere of the film, established from its opening shot, teases the quick demise of order and stability. Holmer and Davis explore the dynamics of the village very slowly, almost painstakingly. Tension builds like the sea’s undercurrents that frequently come into the camera’s focus, symbolising the danger lurking beneath something that appears serene and harmless. Mescal gives a breathtaking performance as Brian, an attractive, charming and friendly man that drives the film’s narrative into complex territory. When Aileen is contacted by the police and informed that Brain has been accused of sexual assault, the film presents us with the fact that abusers do not fit into one specific mould.
Aileen is left to decide whether to protect her beloved son or stand up for his victim, with Watson giving an intensely powerful performance as a woman stuck between two moral opposites. Despite the incredible performances given by each character, the lack of substantial action for a large portion of the film will undoubtedly test many viewers and leave them itching for more to grasp.
Apart from the occasional slap or father-son brawl, there is a lack of explosive arguments or confrontations present in the film. In this respect, the directors ensure that the assault is not sensationalised and played for drama. Instead, the film emphasises just how common such assaults are and how they become part and parcel of everyday life for many women.
God’s Creatures is a careful study of masculinity, using a considered and isolated setting to represent wider society. It feels like there’s nothing beyond the confines of the village, yet, the truth is, the events that take place in the film happen everywhere across the world. Unfortunately, the film often lacks momentum, with its sparse plot largely held together by stunning performances from Watson, Mescal and Aisling Franciosi.
