Remarkably Bright Creatures

Tova Sullivan lost her son years ago and spends her nights cleaning at an aquarium. Cameron Cassmore is a young man who belongs nowhere and keeps moving on. Their paths cross at the aquarium. The one who forms the bond between them, and opens it to the viewer, is the third member of the trio: Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. Olivia Newman directed and wrote the screenplay with John Whittington, with additional literary material by Katie Silberman. The source is Shelby Van Pelt's 2022 novel. Sally Field plays Tova and Lewis Pullman plays Cameron, with Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D'Elia and Colm Meaney in the cast. Alfred Molina voices Marcellus. It went up on Netflix on 8 May 2026 and runs 111 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 85 percent, the consensus calling it a sweet melodrama that tugs the heartstrings with admirable restraint. Metacritic sits at 55. It took three Primetime Emmy nominations and won two Astra TV Awards, for Best TV Movie and Best Actress for Field. Who it is for: viewers who like grief and loneliness handled gently. Who it is not for: anyone put off by sentiment. The film plays the talking octopus entirely straight and never tries to keep its distance.