52 Films by Women Vol 7. 30. GOD'S CREATURES (Directors: Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer)
Physical activity defined director Anna Rose Holmer’s 2015 feature debut, The Fits , about a pre-pubescent girl training to be a dancer, which she co-wrote with Saela Davis. Davis and Holmer share the directing credit for their overdue (2022) follow-up, God’s Creatures , filmed in County Donegal, Ireland and focusing on a troubled fishing community, equally defined by physical activity. Written by Shane Crowley, the film deals with male violence as enabled by women. A mother, Aileen (Emily Watson) lies to protect her recently returned adult son, Brian (Paul Mescal) when his former girlfriend, Sarah (Aisling Franciosi) reports that he raped her after a night out. Her lie emphasises a dividing line between men and women. However bad you are treated by a man you don’t go to the police. It begins with a rush of bubbles, churning water and a muffled cry for help. The sea has claimed the life of a young man, the son of Mary Fitz (Marion O’Dwyer), who went out fishing on his own. The ...