Laced with quiet dread and told in hushed tones, God’s Creatures lacks the metaphysical dynamism of director Anna Rose Holmer’s debut, The Fits, which focused on a youth dance team at a Cincinnati community center. (Holmer shares directing credit here with Saela Davis, who was editor on The Fits.) And yet, in its own way, God’s Creatures similarly recognizes the cathartic power of music, if not movement. The film—which follows Aileen (Emily Watson), a mother in a small fishing village who finds herself torn between her loyalty to her community and her love for her prodigal son, Brian (Paul Mescal)—features two powerhouse singing scenes. Both center on Aisling Franciosi (who also sings as the lead character in Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale). Franciosi plays Sarah, a coworker of Aileen’s and an acquaintance of Brian’s who gets caught at the center of their familial storm. At a crucial turning point in the narrative, Sarah—standing with the other villagers as they bid good fortune to those going out to fish—leads the group in a rendition of the contemporary Catholic hymn “Here I Am, Lord.” After a moment, the voices of the others fade away, allowing Franciosi’s clear, convicting voice to ring out. Then a sudden rain shower drowns out the song. As Aileen, Watson is reliably sturdy in the lead role—you can see her panicked conscience in her eyes—but it’s Franciosi who grabs the film by its shoulders and turns it into a searing, singular experience.
(9/29/2022)
