"The unavoidability of My Octopus Teacher led to everything from a creepy spike in people googling did octopus teacher sex with octopus (time-saver: he didn't) to an unforgivably undeserved Oscar win for best documentary (Collective, you were robbed) and then, while not a direct on-record inspiration, it at least paved the way for the success of Shelby Van Pelt's best-selling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures in 2022."
"The book, which hinges on the bond between an elderly cleaner and a grumpy octopus, gave those still yearning for more octopus teaching a gentle summer read with no weird questions needing to be asked and now, inevitably, the adaptation lands on Netflix to be filed in the growing inspiring octopus movie section."
"It's a film that can also sit in the streamer's row of originals aimed at an older audience, alongside gentle afternoon watches like Nonnas, Our Souls at Night, Juanita and Otherhood. Like those films it welcomes in an actor we haven't seen as much lately as we once did Sally Field in this instance and grants her more screen time than she has been given in over a decade her last lead role was 2015's Hello, My Name is Doris."
"I'm not sure how much of the film would really work without her anchoring it she adds volume to what's otherwise a pretty low-level hum but with Field smoothly moving between comedy and drama in a film that can't always move quite so gracefully, it all just about stays afloat. Field is Tova, a cleaner at an aquarium in a picturesque coastal town who struggles to connect with those around her."
A Netflix film adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures centers on Tova, an elderly cleaner at an aquarium in a coastal town. Tova struggles to connect with people around her and finds a different kind of companionship through a grumpy octopus. The story follows a gentle, low-level emotional tone that relies on Sally Field’s performance to stay engaging. Field brings both comedy and drama, adding volume to material that otherwise moves with limited intensity. The film is positioned among Netflix originals aimed at older viewers, alongside similarly warm, reflective titles. The adaptation continues the cultural momentum of octopus-focused media that gained attention during the pandemic.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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