God’s Creatures ★★½

IT’S not that often that I struggle to follow a film’s story.

But that was the case with the drama God’s Creatures.

It came down to a struggle with both the accents and subtle progressions in the narrative that I didn’t fully grasp.

It’s set in a small English fishing village where Emily Watson’s lead character, Aileen O’Hara, is a familiar figure as a supervisor at the main fish processing centre.

The usual existence is impacted by the return of Aileen’s adult son Brian from Australia.

There is some family tension, the reasons for which are undisclosed.

Brian announces his intention to reinvigorate the family’s neglected oyster farming business but doesn’t have a lot of experience or expertise.

His mother steals some oyster spats from the factory to assist her son in his endeavours.

However, this doesn’t seem to be the focus of further tensions which seem to grow out of Brian’s renewed relationship with a local woman and a local illegal fishing group.

This is where I got a little lost in the narrative until the final act which delivers a dramatic conclusion.

Watson is excellent as usual, as is Paul Mescall, an Oscar nominee for Aftersun, as the troubled Brian.

This is the second film from the women behind the highly-regarded The Fits released in 2015.

I don’t intend to give God’s Creatures another go, but The Fits is still on my watch list.