If a film or TV show has the name Sally Field as part of the package, you can usually count on it being worth watching. Such is the case with Remarkably Bright Creatures, a family-friendly film (apart from a couple of naughty words) about a lonely woman emotionally connecting with an octopus at the aquarium where she works.

With that premise, it would be remiss not to mention Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, but this is a completely different kettle of fish, so to speak. Is it sentimental? Yes, unashamedly so. Will it provoke a few sniffles? Probably. And will it warm your heart? Unless it’s made of stone, yes.

Based on the 2022 New York Times bestseller book by Shelby van Pelt, the film is basically a magical fairytale. We know it’s not based on realism from the opening sequence, which is voiced by Alfred Molina from the intelligent octopus’s point of view. He used to love his life in the depths of the sea, but was rescued after receiving injuries and ended up in an aquarium being annoyed by noisy schoolkids knocking on the glass.

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Marcellus, as the very realistically CGI-animated octopus is now named, is proud of his supreme intellect and understandably irritated that he has to be subservient to the people who’ve put him in captivity. Despite the humans’ good intentions, Marcellus would rather not be constrained and often gets out of the tank to go on little adventures within the aquarium at night.

Then there’s Tova (Field), a grieving widow who’s had a tragic past by losing her teenage son many years ago. A night cleaner at the aquarium, she speaks to Marcellus (he doesn’t speak back – it’s not
that much of a fairytale) and is the only human he likes. In his thoughts, he refers to her as “the cleaning lady”, and can sense that she has a wound deep inside her.

The third piece of the mainly three-parter arrives in the form of Cameron, played by Lewis Pullman, his resemblance to his actor dad Bill Pullman being obvious from the start. To say that 30-ish Cameron hasn’t got his life together is an understatement. His rickety van has broken down, his band, Moth Sausage, has broken up, he’s searching for his long-lost dad, and he’s unemployed.

Fate has it that Tova sprains her ankle, so a new night cleaner is needed at the aquarium. New bonds start to form as the lonely Tova supervises Cameron so that he takes his job seriously.

He also forms an appreciation for Marcellus, who refers to him as “the juvenile” in his thoughts. If you think you know where it’s heading, or at least come up with a couple of theories, you might be surprised and even delighted that it manages to hold a few unpredictable turns.

Directed by Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing), Remarkably Bright Creatures was co-written by her and John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3). It’s an engaging and moving story as long as you’re willing to throw your cynicism out the window.

At 79, Sally Field is as compelling a presence as ever, and Pullman is up to the task of sharing the screen with her. It’s also wonderful to see faces from TV shows gone by – Kathy Baker (Picket Fences) and Joan Chen (Twin Peaks) – in supporting roles, as well as Irish treasure, Colm Meaney.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is now streaming on Netflix.