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All Creatures Here Below (2019) movie poster

Characters & Themes

All Creatures Here Below (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 91 min · English
Echo score 62
JustWatch #12,048 7
Directed by
Collin Schiffli
Starring
David Dastmalchian, Karen Gillan, David Koechner, CJ Johnson, Richard Cabral, Jennifer Morrison

In the dark and desperate underbelly of Los Angeles, Gensan and Ruby struggle to survive. A risky opportunity arises, leading them to make a rash decision that plunges their lives into chaos. Forced to flee, they head back to Kansas City, confronting past troubles and facing the threat of familiar dangers that could destroy everything.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like All Creatures Here Below
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch All Creatures Here Below (2019)

Where can you watch All Creatures Here Below? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, Philo and Starz: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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3 main characters · contains spoilers

All Creatures Here Below Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of All Creatures Here Below (2019), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Gensan (David Dastmalchian)

    Gensan is portrayed as a determined yet conflicted individual who embodies the struggle of a caregiver in dire circumstances. His deep love for Ruby is overshadowed by his reluctance to pursue fatherhood, creating a personal dilemma as he encounters the harrowing realities of their lives.

    • 👨‍👧 Caregiver
    • 💪 Resilience
  • Ruby (Karen Gillan)

    Ruby is a complex character grappling with her mental health, which ultimately affects her decision-making. Her intense longing to start a family contrasts sharply with her chaotic actions, representing the vulnerabilities that can arise from trauma and instability.

    • 💔 Vulnerability
    • 👩‍👧 Impulsivity
  • Uncle Doug (John Doe)

    Uncle Doug serves as an ominous figure who reveals the harsh truths of Gensan and Ruby’s past. His manipulation and harsh realities embody the struggle with legacy and familial bonds, presenting a mix of protection and toxicity.

    • 🧔 Brotherhood
    • ⚖️ Truth

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:01

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Setting

Where and When Does All Creatures Here Below Take Place?

The setting of All Creatures Here Below (2019): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

The movie occurs in contemporary times, reflecting societal issues such as mental health struggles, economic hardships, and the impacts of familial trauma. The characters’ interactions and consequences are deeply rooted in today's complex world.

Location

Los Angeles, De Soto, Kansas

Los Angeles serves as the backdrop of the couple's struggle against poverty and hardship, known for its bustling lifestyle yet contrasting realities for those in its shadows. De Soto, Kansas, a quieter environment, becomes the site of shocking family revelations and represents the couple's traumatic past intertwined with their search for a fresh start.

  • 🌆 City
  • 🌾 Countryside

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:01

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3 major themes

All Creatures Here Below Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is All Creatures Here Below (2019) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Tragedy

    The central theme of tragedy permeates the lives of Gensan and Ruby, as their desperate circumstances lead to devastating choices. The film explores the consequences of their actions and the profound impact of familial ties, ultimately resulting in heartbreaking outcomes that challenge the very notion of survival.

  • Desperation

    Desperation drives the main characters into dark corners; Gensan's loss of job pushes him towards crime, and Ruby's mental state spirals out of control. Their choices reflect the extremes one might resort to in the face of relentless adversity, highlighting the fragility of human morality.

  • Motherhood

    The theme of motherhood is explored through Ruby's complicated relationship with the kidnapped infant, Irene. Ruby’s struggles highlight her underlying instability and conflicting desires, raising questions about maternal instincts and the responsibilities that accompany motherhood in dire situations.

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:01

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Character & theme questions

All Creatures Here Below Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about All Creatures Here Below (2019): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where does the story take place?

The movie primarily takes place in Los Angeles, where the couple struggles in the city's underbelly against poverty. They later flee to De Soto, Kansas, a quieter environment that serves as the site of shocking family revelations and represents their traumatic past.

  • los angeles
  • de soto kansas
  • setting
  • locations
Q2

When is the movie set?

The film is set in contemporary times, reflecting current societal issues like mental health struggles, economic hardships, and the impacts of familial trauma.

  • contemporary
  • modern
  • time period
  • era
Q3

What makes this a tragic story?

The central theme of tragedy permeates through Gensan and Ruby's desperate circumstances, which lead to devastating choices. Their actions have profound consequences that challenge the very notion of survival, resulting in heartbreaking outcomes.

  • tragedy
  • tragedy theme
  • desperate circumstances
  • consequences
Q4

How does desperation influence the characters?

Desperation drives the main characters into dark corners; Gensan's loss of his job pushes him toward crime, and Ruby's mental state spirals out of control. Their choices reflect the extremes one might resort to in the face of relentless adversity, highlighting the fragility of human morality.

  • desperation
  • job loss
  • crime
  • adversity
  • moral decay
Q5

How is motherhood explored in the film?

The theme of motherhood is explored through Ruby's complicated relationship with a kidnapped infant. Her struggles highlight underlying instability and conflicting desires, raising questions about maternal instincts and the responsibilities that accompany motherhood in dire situations.

  • motherhood
  • maternal instincts
  • ruby
  • infant
  • kidnapped child
Q6

Who is Gensan and what motivates him?

Gensan is a determined yet conflicted individual who embodies the struggle of a caregiver in dire circumstances. His deep love for Ruby is overshadowed by his reluctance to pursue fatherhood, creating a personal dilemma as he encounters the harrowing realities of their lives.

  • gensan
  • character motivation
  • caregiver
  • ruby
  • fatherhood
Q7

Who is Ruby and what are her struggles?

Ruby is a complex character grappling with her mental health, which ultimately affects her decision-making. Her intense longing to start a family contrasts sharply with her chaotic actions, representing the vulnerabilities that arise from trauma and instability.

  • ruby
  • mental health
  • trauma
  • family
  • instability
Q8

Who is Uncle Doug and what role does he play?

Uncle Doug serves as an ominous figure who reveals the harsh truths of Gensan and Ruby's past. His manipulation and harsh realities embody the struggle with legacy and familial bonds, presenting a mix of protection and toxicity.

  • uncle doug
  • family
  • manipulation
  • legacy
  • revelation
Q9

How do the two main settings contrast in the story?

Los Angeles represents the bustling city where the couple struggles against poverty and hardship in the shadows of modern life. De Soto, Kansas contrasts as a quieter environment that symbolizes their traumatic past and serves as the backdrop for family revelations.

  • urban
  • rural
  • contrast
  • los angeles
  • kansas
  • settings

Movie threads

More Movies Like All Creatures Here Below, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes All Creatures Here Below tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies like All Creatures Here About desperate journeys into moral decay

Characters on the run from their past, with nowhere to go but down. If you were captivated by the grim road trip and moral collapse in All Creatures Here Below, this thread features movies with similar stories. These films focus on characters fleeing their circumstances, only to face the devastating consequences of their past and present actions.

  • desperate
  • grim
  • anxious
  • oppressive
  • heartbreaking
  • claustrophobic
  • Tone: dark, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, grim momentum
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically begins with a desperate act that forces the characters to flee. The journey is not one of redemption but of further unraveling, as they are pursued by external threats and haunted by internal trauma, culminating in a tragic or bleak conclusion.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on flight, moral compromise, and the inescapable weight of the past. They create a palpable sense of claustrophobia and doom, even in open spaces, driven by heavy emotional themes like poverty, crime, and trauma.

Psychological despair movies similar to All Creatures Here Below

Intimate stories of characters crushed by poverty and mental illness. For viewers who appreciated the raw portrayal of mental illness and poverty in All Creatures Here Below, this section gathers films with a similar bleak and heavy tone. These movies offer unflinching looks at characters struggling against overwhelming psychological and socioeconomic forces.

  • oppressive
  • heartbreaking
  • desperate
  • grim
  • anxious
  • claustrophobic
  • Tone: dark, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative is an intimate, steady-paced character study where external pressures—like poverty and crime—exacerbate deep-seated psychological issues. The plot is less about external events and more about the internal collapse of the characters as their circumstances become increasingly hopeless.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by their oppressive atmosphere and heavy emotional weight, derived from a realistic and bleak examination of trauma and survival. They share a dark tone, high intensity, and a focus on the heartbreaking consequences of desperation.

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Every angle

All Creatures Here Below (2019) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about All Creatures Here Below in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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