Starting off with a voiceover from a smart old octopus called Marcellus, who is trapped in a public aquarium, the film then introduces the aquarium's night cleaner Tova (Sally Field) facing an old-age life change and drifter Cameron (Lewis Pullman), whose camper van breaks down in the sleepy waterside town of Sowell Bay, and the story brings together the unlikely trio as they learn life lessons and how to face the future in this gentle, whimsical and contemplative drama. It is, of course, all one big metaphor for looking beyond that which limits you and escaping your confines, as well as dealing with family and reconciling with the past. The writing is excellent, as Tora and Cameron gradually find common ground and learn from each other as their cross-generational friendship develops. Sally Field is - as expected - simply wonderful, Lewis Pullman is very strong as a foil to her straight-talking ways whilst establishing his character and arc very well in his own right as the directionless Cameron, and Colm Meaney does another of his effortlessly watchable character performances as the local store owner. The conclusion is perhaps expectedly mawkish (if have not by that point pieced together all the clues), but overall Remarkably Bright Creatures is a simple tale that is delivered impeccably.
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