“Remarkably Bright Creatures” arrives on Netflix as a gentle drama built around grief, solitude, and an unlikely friendship with an octopus. The film also gives Sally Field a substantial lead role, and her performance does much of the emotional heavy lifting.
The story fits neatly into Netflix’s growing collection of calm, older-skewing originals, the kind that includes titles like “Nonnas,” “Our Souls at Night,” “Juanita,” and “Otherhood.” It is less interested in big plot twists than in quiet connection, and that restrained approach gives the film its appeal.
Sally Field carries the emotional center
Field plays Tova, a cleaner at an aquarium in a coastal town. She is still living with the pain of losing her son years earlier, and that loss has pushed her toward a life of routine and isolation.
The role gives Field the kind of screen time she has not had in more than a decade. Her last lead role was in “Hello, My Name Is Doris,” and here she moves smoothly between dry humor and sadness in a way that keeps the film grounded.
The review notes that the movie may not work nearly as well without her. Field adds presence to scenes that could otherwise feel thin, and she gives Tova enough texture to make the character feel lived-in rather than symbolic.
An octopus with attitude and a voice from Alfred Molina
Tova’s closest companion is Marcellus, an elderly octopus voiced by Alfred Molina. The character is written with a strong personality, and his dislike of humans makes sense given that he spends his life trapped in a tank by them.
Marcellus is not just a comic device, though. He becomes part of the film’s emotional structure, especially because he listens to Tova in a way the people around her often do not.
Molina’s voiceover helps hold the film together. His narration gives the story a steady rhythm and adds warmth to scenes that might otherwise feel too understated.
Grief, connection, and a new arrival
Tova’s loneliness changes when Cameron, played by Lewis Pullman, starts working with her at the aquarium. He is a wannabe rocker, and the two initially clash before a shared sense of grief begins to bring them closer.
The film links both characters through a feeling of being stuck. They are each carrying emotional damage, and their friendship grows as they begin to recognise that shared unhappiness.
The story also includes Tova’s connection to a retirement community and the decision she has delayed for a long time after her husband had reserved a place for them. That detail adds another layer to her reluctance to move forward.
A simple film that stays focused, mostly
Director Olivia Newman keeps the adaptation moving at a leisurely pace, and the film benefits from being less crowded than her earlier adaptation of “Where the Crawdads Sing.” The smaller scale gives “Remarkably Bright Creatures” a clearer emotional focus.
That said, the review points to some uneven parts. The romantic subplots do not fully develop, and some of the sitcom-style material stretches the characters into broad behaviour that does not always fit the film’s quieter tone.
Even so, the drama works best when it stays close to the pain and resilience of its central figures. It is also notable for giving an older female character space to wrestle with loss, memory, and an uncertain future without turning her into a joke.
Why the film stands out
The film does not aim for spectacle, and it rarely pushes beyond modest emotional beats. But its charm comes from its sincerity, especially in the way it treats loneliness and recovery.
Marcellus may disappear from the story for a stretch, but the final act brings him back into focus in a way that feels neatly arranged yet still effective. The ending is described as sweet and emotionally earned, even if the film does not fully deliver the bigger tears it seems to want.
In the end, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is framed as more decent than dazzling, but that still leaves room for a sincere, character-led Netflix watch. With Sally Field anchoring the film and Alfred Molina giving Marcellus a memorable voice, the movie finds enough warmth to stay afloat.
Read more at: www.theguardian.com
