Film Review

Remarkably Bright Creatures

An octopus, a mystery, and the quiet weight of grief.

There are movies you watch casually, and then there are films that quietly slip under your skin and stay there long after the credits roll. Remarkably Bright Creatures was that kind of experience.

At first glance, I wasn’t sure this would be the kind of movie my husband would enjoy. A reflective drama centered around an octopus did not exactly sound like his style. After letting it sit on Netflix for two days, I finally decided to take the chance. To my surprise, he loved it.

“This movie was so good. I usually don’t prefer these kinds of movies. It was a slow build around relationships and really character-driven. I tend to go for comedies, animations, and James Bond. I was surprised how it drew me in. I had to watch it till the end.”

— Bunny Brunel, Jazz Fusion Bassist

The film is deeply heartfelt, intensely nostalgic, and emotionally observant in a way that catches you off guard. Even more unexpectedly, Sally Field’s character reminded me so much of my own mother, whom I lost only a few months ago. That made the experience both beautiful and difficult. It becomes one of those films you almost have to emotionally prepare yourself for if you are navigating grief of your own.

Set in the fictional coastal town of Sowell Bay in the Pacific Northwest, the story unfolds around an aquarium where Tova Sullivan, played with aching restraint by Sally Field, works nights while carrying decades of unresolved grief. From the opening moments, we hear the narration of Marcellus, a remarkably intelligent Giant Pacific octopus voiced by Alfred Molina. He is not simply an animal in a tank. He is philosopher, witness, and ultimately the key to unraveling a deeply buried mystery.

Marcellus watches humans carefully. He studies their loneliness, their habits, their heartbreak, and their inability to say the things that matter most. His narration paints a surprisingly profound portrait of the human condition, often with more clarity than the humans themselves possess.

But what affected me most was not simply the story itself. It was what the film awakened in me personally.

This film has pulled me out of my silence with AGENDA, the magazine founded by my mother and me. When I lost her, I lost far more than a parent. I lost my creative partner, my sounding board, and the very reason my magazine and publishing house exists. For months, grief had quieted something in me creatively.

Yet somehow, this film moved me enough to pull me back into life.

And so, here I am. Back.

That is perhaps the greatest compliment I can give Remarkably Bright Creatures. It understands grief in a way that only people who have truly experienced profound loss may fully recognize. Those who have not walked through that darkness may not completely understand the emotional weight carried by these characters. But the performances, particularly Sally Field’s, reveal with startling honesty just how isolating, exhausting, and deeply consuming grief can become.

Synopsis

Based on the bestselling novel by Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures follows widowed aquarium cleaner Tova Sullivan, who develops an unusual bond with Marcellus, a Giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium where she works. At the same time, Cameron, a troubled young man searching for answers about his own past, arrives in town. As Marcellus quietly observes the lives around him, he begins piecing together connections the humans themselves cannot see.

Cast & Crew

Starring: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Colm Meaney, and Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus.

Directed by: Olivia Newman
Screenplay by: Olivia Newman and John Whittington
Based on the novel by: Shelby Van Pelt
Music by: Dickon Hinchliffe
Distributor: Netflix

Sally Field on the Role

Sally Field has described the story as “surprising and life-affirming,” and called the source novel a lovely book about healing, family, and an homage to sea creatures. That description feels exactly right. Her performance never overstates the pain. Instead, she lets Tova’s grief live in the pauses, the routines, and the quiet spaces between words.

If you are dealing with grief, I highly recommend this film. It may hurt. It may even reopen certain wounds. But it may also remind you that healing sometimes begins in the most unexpected places, even through the eyes of an octopus quietly observing humanity from behind glass.