The heinously under-utilized rural gothic sub-genre seems to have proven itself as something of a sleeping giant, with its eerie flirtations with drama and horror cranking themselves up to the extreme, all against the relatively isolated backdrop of an otherwise quaint village or town.
This and more is on full, unadulterated display in this brand new trailer for God’s Creatures, the latest from A24’s upcoming fall slate.
The film takes place in a charming-at-first-glance fishing village in Ireland, where protagonist (?) Aileen O’Hara resides. When she’s reunited with her son Brian, who she hasn’t heard from in several years, she’s positively elated at his return, determined to reconnect with him and make up for lost time. Things become very grim at a breakneck pace, however, when Brian is accused of some particularly unsavory actions, and when Aileen is brought in for questioning, it seems that she’s holding back a fair chunk of the truth, resulting in a downward spiral for not only her family, but for her community as well.
Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, God’s Creatures has had its time to garnish quite a reputation, currently flaunting a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and adjacent praise from in-the-know reviewers.
The film stars Academy Award nominee Emily Watson and Emmy Award nominee Paul Mescal in the main roles of Aileen and Brian, respectively, alongside Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Marion O’Dwyer, and Toni O’Rourke.
God’s Creatures will arrive in theaters across the United Kingdom and Ireland on September 30.