‘God’s Creatures’ Directors Felt Urgency to Negotiate Unspoken ‘Normalcy’ of Sexual Assault

thewrap.com:

Note: The following contains spoilers for “God’s Creatures” and a discussion about sexual assault.“God’s Creatures” directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer felt an urgency to investigative the unspoken normalcies surrounding sexual assault in A24’s latest psychological drama.“There were these questions that the script was posing that felt like questions we had been asking about how you negotiate these unspoken ‘normalcies’ that needs to be questioned,” Holmer told TheWrap during a recent interview. “It felt urgent to us to make.”Set in an Irish fishing village, “God’s Creatures” reunites Aileen, played by Emily Watson, with her son, Brian, played by Paul Mescal, who left the area as a boy to move to Australia, and comes home a man seeking fresh start.

Aileen is elated by the return of her handsome son and compromises her morals ever so slightly to ensure a smooth transition for Brian.

The tides change too rapidly, however, when Aileen fabricates an alibi to police officers when Brian is accused of a violent crime.“It completely floors her and takes her by surprise,” Watson told TheWrap. “But it is an animal instinct that kicks in and in that moment, she just goes, ‘nope, he was with me.’ She doesn’t flicker; she doesn’t waver.”After the pair leave the police station assured that Brian will be protected by Aileen’s lie, Aileen asks Brian what really happened after she left the bar with Brian and family friend Sarah, played by Aisling Franciosi, reminiscing about childhood memories.

Brian spirals at her inquiry, suggesting that he should move back to Australia in a move that Watson calls “deeply manipulative.” “He knows she would be broken by it,” Watson said.