While there might now be a simply huge market for sci-fi and fantasy shows, all the best streaming services know that they can't afford to neglect more traditional genres, too. There's a massive audience who want movies they can take at face value, with well-done emotional beats and stories set in the real world.
Netflix is, unsurprisingly, an absolute specialist when it comes to this sort of stuff, and it just gave us a proper trailer for a movie that absolutely ticks the boxes I've mentioned so far. Remarkably Bright Creatures is based on a novel of the same name, and seems likely to be a surefire hit with mainstream audiences, although it might be more emotional than some people are expecting.
The film stars none other than Sally Field in the lead role as Tova, a slightly lonely older woman working as a cleaner in a small town's aquarium. She strikes up an affinity of sorts for the giant pacific octopus whose tank she cleans, and that animal seems to act as the narrator of the movie (voiced by Alfred Molina).
As he observes matters from his unique perspective, he gets to watch as a new arrival joins her staff – a younger man (Lewis Pullman) who isn't exactly having the best time. With a mother who left while he was young, he's searching for his father, but also trying to figure out just what it is that he wants from life. As it becomes clear that Tova lost a son of her own, the parallels between these two quiet humans will start to be made obvious.
The movie looks incredibly sweet, in short, and clearly has plenty of emotional depth to it – in fact, I wouldn't bet against it being something of a tearjerker. One of those happy ones, though, where it gives you some sadness to work out, but ends up with an ending that's optimistic enough to ensure that you're not just crushed when the credits roll.
That's not informed by any knowledge on my part, though; I haven't read the book, so don't have a clue how Tova's story will end, I'm just going off clues in the trailer. Still, if you want to know more for yourself you can check out the movie on Netflix from 8 May, in a little less than a month's time.
