Mescal makes this a hot ticket but Watson is every bit an icon

God’s Creatures 101 mins, cert 15 ★★★★✩

MESCALMANIA wasn’t a thing when Paul Mescal was cast in this harrowing indie drama. Though he’d made Normal People, he was still seen as, well, a normal person.

The 27-year-old’s Oscar nom for Aftersun, plus ecstatic reviews for his stage performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, explain why the second collaboration between US directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer has become such a hot ticket.

Set in a coastal Irish village in the Nineties, Mescal plays Brian O’Hara, though the film’s protagonist is actually his mother Aileen (the superlative Emily Watson), whose mouth falls open when she sees her boy strolling into the local pub after returning from Australia.

When he’s accused of a horrific crime — involving Sarah (Aisling Franciosi), who Aileen not only works with but adores — Aileen puts Brian’s needs first. Watson and Mescal do a fantastic job of putting Aileen’s betrayal in context. Sadly, the final act is disappointing — it’s implausible and theatrical. Still, given the tiny budget, it’s remarkable how much about this dysfunctional landscape makes sense.

Mescal and Watson, right, are screen icons and we shouldn’t need reminding that while he’s in his prime, so is she.

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