Shelby Van Pelt – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES – Review by T.J. Callahan

May 21, 2026May 21, 2026 T. J. Callahan Alfred Molina, Lewis Pullman, netflix, octopus, olivia newman, Sally Field, Shelby Van Pelt

If you have been living under a coral reef for a while…this is the movie about the Octopus book everyone has been reading since Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel hit the best seller list in 2022. Remarkably Bright Creatures is ultimately a heartwarming story, but takes us through change, grief, abandonment and growth before we get all the feels. Writer/director Olivia Newman’s screenplay adaption takes the best parts of the novel making it a multilayered therapy session disguised as a Sweet n Low streamer.

Reviews

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES – Review by Susan Granger

May 12, 2026May 16, 2026 Susan Granger Alfred Molina, Lewis Pullman, netflix, octopus, olivia newman, Sally Field, Shelby Van Pelt

Sally Field, Lewis Pullman and a rust-colored giant Pacific octopus team up for Remarkably Bright Creatures, a tedious tale of loss, loneliness and love. Set in the quaint, picturesque, seaside town of Sowell Bay in the state of Washington, it revolves around Tova (Field), a widowed cleaning lady at the local aquarium, and a stranded rock musician, Cameron (Pullman), who are befriended by perceptive Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), a captive cephalopod.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Olivia Newman’s REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES debutes on Netflix – Brandy McDonnell reports

April 16, 2026April 12, 2026 Brandy McDonnell netflix, olivia newman, Remarkably Bright Creatures, Sally Field, Shelby Van Pelt, the week in women, twiw

Olivia Newman’s star-studded adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures will debut May 8 on Netflix. The novel, which became commonly known as “that octopus book” spent more than 64 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Sally Field stars as a widow who works at a local aquarium and finds joy again when she forms an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus. Olivia Newman is an award-winning writer-director whose films have screened at festivals internationally, including the New York Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest and Vancouver International Film Festival, among others.