Annie, in flashback and in spectral form, is played vibrantly by the young Martha West, the daughter of the Sheffield-born actor Dominic West, and Creation is most playful in the intimate moments between father and daughter. Forever ill and in a severe stage of hair loss, Darwin (the great Paul Bettany) is unsure if he should even write down his findings and, as Bettany plays him after Annie's death, looks terminally beleaguered in his physicality. Who can blame him? Plagued by snooty compatriots (Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch) and a similar though shorter study published by Alfred Russel Wallace, the alpha-naturalist must also grapple with the consequences of his work on Emma (Jennifer Connelly, the real-life Mrs. Bettany).
Chronologically tossed and then reshaped by director Jon Amiel, screenwriter John Collee and editor Melanie Oliver, the focus lies strictly on the months leading up to Annie's death and the months leading up to the publication of 'Species', perhaps the most important pagan tome of all time. Posited on a minefield of clichés, Amiel wisely does not attempt to give Darwin dominion in the battle between faith and science; his daughter's death weighs on him far more than his theories on our origins. Call it a pro or a con but Creation's attitude towards the afterlife is purposefully opaque.
If the film fails overall to confront what might be called the fog of genius, it is effective as a study of loss and inventive when conveying Darwin's complex relationship with nature; as Darwin's cramped office often act as a haunted house, Amiel makes his backyard resemble more of a home, complete with a cramped hut where he can study his pigeons. There are similar smart touches but those hoping to find great insight into Darwin's dense persona and personal history will not find a rich text in Creation, even if the film, on its own terms, is well-paced and sure in its tone and atmosphere.
The fact that neither Amiel nor Bettany depict Darwin as a Satan-worshipping demagogue hellbent on dismembering the Almighty has caused many right-wing bloggers and Christ enthusiasts to condemn Amiel's film, most without even setting eyes on the work. It's a shame since the film treats religion with such dignity and understanding but it's doubtful that these detractors even care about whether the film is good or not. Early on, Amiel flashes back as Darwin tells the story of two children from a native tribe in Tierra del Fuego and an aristocrat's attempts to make them 'proper', only to watch them revert to their natural habits upon return to their island. We are often simply who we decide to be, in spite of the complexities life often burdens us with.
