Remarkably Bright Creatures stars Sally Field as Tova. Tova should be retired, but she spends her nights cleaning the aquarium and chatting to an elderly octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina).

Remarkably Bright Creatures ties two themes together. One is that an octopus is interested in the doings of human beings and recognizes a need in Tova that he wants to help with. The octopus narrates the story. The second is that destiny will find a way to unite people who are fated to be together.

Tova lives in a beautiful house by the sea. Her women friends (played by the remarkable trio of Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, and Beth Grant) get together often. Tova lost her husband just a couple of years ago. Her son Eric died in an accident at sea several years earlier. Tova hasn’t recovered from either loss.

A broke musician in a dilapidated van with a steaming radiator rolls into town. He needs a temp job to pay for car repairs. At the same time Tova hurts her ankle and is told to stay off her feet.

Cameron (Lewis Pullman), the musician, gets the cleaning job at the aquarium while Tova recovers. She’s there every night to make sure he knows how to clean the place properly. She explains how to care for Marcellus, who has a habit of getting out of his tank at night. They begin as adversaries but slowly become a team.

Tova helps Cameron search for his father, a man he thinks is a rich real estate developer. She helps him get a date with Avery (Sofia Black-D’Elia), who owns a paddle board shop. She encourages him to perform at open mic night. They like each other. They share life stories. They think they look after Marcellus, but the octopus is really taking care of them.

Speaking of liking someone, a local shop owner, Ethan (Colm Meaney), has a crush on Tova. He asks her out for tea. She agrees but doesn’t realize it’s meant to be a date and that he’s courting her.

Everything about this story is designed to pull on your heart strings. It was written by Olivia Newman and John Whittington, based on the novel by Shelby Van Pelt. Olivia Newman directed. The ending may bring you to tears–it sure means to.

We’ve seen Sally Field in dozens to roles for which she earned many, many awards. Watching her in this was like seeing a primer on how brilliant Sally Field is as an actor. For the young folks who may not know her body of work, Remarkably Bright Creatures demonstrates what a treasure she is and how beautifully she does her job. She gives a marvelous performance, one of her best.

This sweet and tender love story is streaming on Netflix.