Anonymous Content
Not part of a collection.
Brighter together.
Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.
badelf
Aug 13, 2026 · via TMDB
**7/10: Sally Field delivers a career-highlight performance that transcends the film's otherwise conventional craft, turning a potentially saccharine premise into something genuinely moving about loss, solitude, and second chances.** The opening moments are a whimsy that feels pitched to a younger demographic. But give Olivia Newman's adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's novel twenty minutes to settle into itself, and what emerges is something genuinely affecting: a meditation on aging, youth, loss, love, and the unlikely connections that allow us to forgive ourselves and each other. Sally Field anchors the film with the kind of lived-in performance that reminds you why she's collected two Oscars and a lifetime of respect. She plays Tova, a widow still haunted by her son's disappearance decades earlier, who works night shifts at a small-town aquarium and finds solace in solitude. Field doesn't traffic in sentiment; she finds the specific rhythms of this particular grief, the way it's calcified over years into something that structures her life unconsciously. Watch her hands as she cleans the tanks, or the way she holds her body at a slight remove from the younger staff; this is an actress who understands that her craft is physical, not just emotional. The film's central conceit is a voiced octopus named Marcellus who observes, judges, and ultimately helps orchestrate the narrative's resolution. Alfred Molina voices the cephalopod with dry wit and surprising pathos, and to Newman's credit, she doesn't oversell the device. The octopus is not magical surrealism here. He is a literary device, a witness who sees what the human characters cannot or will not. Lewis Pullman does what he can with a character arc that's been rushed to fit the film format, never quite earning its emotional beats. The script, by Newman and John Whittington, brings him into Tova's orbit through a series of contrivances that feel precisely that: contrived. Yet Pullman finds grace notes in the margins, moments of depth the writing doesn't fully explore. He and Field have a late-film scene that transcends the material through the sheer commitment of two fine actors. Whittington's screenplay deserves credit for balancing comedy and heartbreak without collapsing into bathos. There are genuine laughs here, many courtesy of Marcellus' observations, and the writing understands that loss and humor often coexist in real life. The movie's themes ultimately land with respect for the audience's intelligence. But here's where the film stumbles: Newman, who showed real visual ambition with *Where the Crawdads Sing*, opts for safe. The cinematography is competent but uninspired, the kind of standard-issue Hollywood warmth that signals "Hallmark drama" without ever taking risks. The aquarium, the small town, and the cabin setting offer opportunities for visual poetry such as the play of light through and on water, the way glass separates and connects us, but the film rarely capitalizes on these possibilities. It looks good; it just isn't distinctive or creative. This matters because the story itself traffics in the extraordinary: an octopus as moral agent, a decades-old mystery, the slow combustion of human connection across generational divides. The material is brave, but the execution is merely professional. You can feel Newman respecting the source material, honoring the performances, hitting her marks; and yet never quite trusting herself to make something audacious enough to match the narrative's ambitions. Field, on the other hand, elevates everything around her. She always has. There's a moment late in the film where she learns something that re-contextualizes her entire adult life, and Field plays it not as revelation but as a kind of terrible relief, the way some truths arrive less as shock than as confirmation that the gods are on our side. It's masterclass work, the kind that makes you wish the film surrounding her was half as fearless.
Zeus
May 28, 2026 · via TMDB
#Mymuvir3 #RemakablyBrightCreatures2026 #688 9/10 stars review ratings #SallyField #LewisPullman #ColmMeaney #Marcellus (Octopus Voice) One of those movie whether you really hate it or love it. In this case its more to the earlier I suppose. Set up on an ordinary life of a lady ,, an aquarium keeper and yes the miracle starts from there. One of the great acting from Sally Field and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a 9/10 stars review ratings from me and it is well deserve hwen the whole story form up.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Sally Field
Tova Sullivan
Lewis Pullman
Cameron Cassmore
Colm Meaney
Ethan Mack
Alfred Molina
Marcellus (voice)
Joan Chen
Janice Kim
Kathy Baker
Mary Ann Minetti
Beth Grant
Barb Vanderhoof
Sofia Black-D'Elia
Avery
Brandon McEwan
Teenage Erik
Donald Sales
Terry
Mapuana Makia
Jessica Snell
Laura Harris
Andie
Anthony Harrison
Sheriff
Dan Payne
Adam Wright
Shauna Johannesen
Eliza Wright
Chris William Martin
Simon Brinks
David Parent
Police Officer
Michael Delleva
Tanner
Duncan Fraser
Ex-Cop
Noah Craig
Marco
Kareem Malcolm
Host
Andres Joseph
Brad
Katie Findlay
Liz
Arielle Tuliao
Field Trip Teacher
Ezra Wilson
Kevin
Sasha Williams
Mother
Michael Karl Richards
Will
Miles Marthaller
5/6 Year Old Erik
Kingston Goodjohn
9 Year Old Cameron
Meghan Heffern
Young Tova
Michael Adamthwaite
Fisherman
Tim Howe
Man on Keyboard
Dave Beamish
Location Scout
Ashley Connor
Director of Photography
Braden Haggerty
Underwater Camera
Jennifer Clarke
Stunt Coordinator
Olivia Newman
Director
Ashley Lambert
ADR Voice Casting
Ranjani Brow
ADR Voice Casting
Mary Vernieu
Casting
Erika Hampson
Executive Producer
Olivia Newman
Executive Producer
Bryan Unkeless
Producer
Peter Craig
Producer
Erika Hampson
Unit Production Manager
Season Kent
Music Supervisor
Dickon Hinchliffe
Orchestrator
Dickon Hinchliffe
Original Music Composer
Kevin O'Connell
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
John Whittington
Screenplay
Olivia Newman
Screenplay
May 8, 2026
Netflix
Versus
Sign in to play →
Hedonist Hypnotist
1970
Iemand Soos jy
1978
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Hedonist Hypnotist
1970
Iemand Soos jy
1978
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.