In Remarkably Bright Creatures, two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field (Lincoln, Forrest Gump) and Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) star in director Olivia Newman’s (Where the Crawdads Sing) adaptation of the debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt, which spent more than 64 weeks of the New York Times bestseller list. Field plays Tova, a widow who works at a local aquarium. Tova finds joy again when she forms unlikely bonds with a giant Pacific octopus and a wayward young man (Pullman) who comes to town in search of family. Together, they uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder.

To celebrate the release of this widely anticipated film (available on Netflix May 8), the Paris Theater is thrilled to present Wild Tales: Remarkably Bright Creatures & Other Unlikely Friendships. Starting Friday, May 1, this two-week series will take a look back at some of cinema history’s most moving tales about humans and animals forming deep, emotional bonds. We’ll include uplifting family favorites (Free Willy, The Black Stallion), true-life tales of incredible connections in the wild (Gorillas in the Mist, My Octopus Teacher), and beloved stories of humans and their four-legged friends taking unpredictable journeys together (Harry and Tonto, War Horse).

This all-star lineup of classics will warm you up for a week of select

Remarkably Bright Creatures screenings, starting Friday, May 8 at the Paris Theater.

And as a Mothers Day treat, on Sunday, May 10, we’ll celebrate the legacy of the great Sally Field with a special screening of one of her most beloved classics, Steel Magnolias.