Anyone who thought "The Banshees of Inisherin", "The Quiet Girl" or even "An Irish Goodbye" were a flash in the pan that is Irish cinema, think again for now we have "God's Creatures", co-directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer from a story by Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly and Shane Crowley. Here is a film that aspires to be a Greek Tragedy by way of Donegal with its very own Oedipus and its very own Medea.
Brian, (Paul Mescal), is the errant son who returns home from Australia, seemingly with nothing to show for his time there, to the small fishing community he left and Aileen, (Emily Watson), is his doting mother. There are family tensions and secrets, both at home and abroad, and by the time the plot finally kicks in, (an accusation of rape), the film has darkened, both literally and metaphorically.
Aileen lies for her son but instantly regrets it. While clearly made from a feminist perspective, Davis and Holmer's film isn't afraid to tease its audience. Mescal is the very epitome of 'the broth of a boy' and yet there is a darkness to his charcter, too. Why, we ask ourselves, did he leave the village in the first place and why did he suddenly leave Australia and come home? These are questions that are never answered and it's left to us to fill in the blanks.
Both leads are superb. Watson remains one of the finest actresses of her generation and Mescal may yet turn out to be one of the best of his generation. It isn't an easy watch, often moving at a snail's pace and leaving as much out as it puts in and you won't come away from it on a high but it's a bold and intelligent picture and a credit to all concerned.
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