The new Netflix film Remarkably Bright Creatures, shot in and around Deep Cove, features a Giant Pacific octopus from the Vancouver Aquarium as its inspiration. The film, directed by Olivia Newman and based on Shelby Van Pelt's novel, stars Sally Field as Tova, a senior widow who cleans an aquarium at night and shares her thoughts with Marcellus the Octopus, voiced by Alfred Molina.
Plot and Setting
The touching adaptation follows Tova, a grieving woman who lost her 18-year-old son 30 years earlier. She works nights at the local aquarium, where she forms a bond with Marcellus. Her life changes dramatically when 30-year-old Cameron, played by Lewis Pullman, arrives in her small coastal town. Together, they unravel the truth about Tova's son. The fictional town of Sowell Bay, Washington, is portrayed by Deep Cove, with the film's production capturing the Pacific Northwest's beauty.
Author's Inspiration
Shelby Van Pelt, the Chicago-based author, wrote the novel during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to cope with homesickness for her Tacoma-area childhood. She aimed to describe the Pacific Northwest to readers who had never been there, particularly through Cameron's eyes as a California transplant. The novel, her first, became an instant New York Times bestseller in 2022, selling over four million copies. Readers have sent her octopus figurines and Swedish Dal horse carvings, which also appear in the story, creating what she calls her "octopus garden."
Message of Hope
Van Pelt noted that the story's themes of hope, friendship, and connection remain relevant in 2026. "Unfortunately, as I sit here in 2026 perhaps for somewhat different reasons, I feel like I'm still saying that we still need this," she said. "I think it is a thing that all the characters in the book are fundamentally sort of good people — people or octopuses — that you want to root for. They are certainly very, very flawed and have their things that irritate us and that frustrate us, but there's not a bad guy, there's not a dark force."
The film premieres on Netflix on May 8, offering a welcome distraction from daily bad news. With its heartfelt narrative and stunning B.C. locations, Remarkably Bright Creatures is set to captivate audiences worldwide.
