Sometimes films come along that REALLY highlight what "DIFFERENT" REALLY MEANS! This IRANIAN movie is a CLASSIC Example!
And to do just that.... FIRST... Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context:
When watching a film produced by another culture, the "Lost in Translation" factor is, to one degree or another, an undeniable part of the equation! "FISH" is no exception!
For openers, the title itself is askew. FARSI, the language spoken in Iran, does not employ articles ("The" or "a/an"). For this reason, when translating, the use of articles provides a serious challenge to Iranians. Here, the Iranian translator should have rendered: "Fish Fall in Love" as the title, sans "The"!
But...Let's put shortcomings on the back-burner for a while and focus on FISH's strengths, which are ample. The term "unpretentious" is overused as of late. If ever there was a film deserving of this distinction, "FISH" certainly is it!
REZA has recently gotten out of prison, where he had been locked up for over 20 years. Apparently, he was whisked away just days before he was to be married to Atieh.
From the get go, it's obvious Reza is still pining for Atieh, big time! Meanwhile, Atieh has converted what was to be their home, into a very popular restaurant. "FISH" chronicles the incremental thawing and eventual initial re-kindling of that relationship, and it does so in a way that is simultaneously poignant, warm-hearted, realistic and yet, oddly mundane.
This film gives us a glimpse of some of the cultural nuances of Iran. The importance of food as a tool for bringing a family together at the table, the myriad of difficulties encountered by a woman who is widowed or abandoned by her husband and how wagging tongued Neighborhood gossips can take all the joy out of life!
Without providing any spoiler details, I found the ending to be rather mystifying and thought-provoking. An attribute shared, surprisingly enough, by several other Iranian films I've seen.
"FISH" does suffer from some production value issues, which are common to low-budget productions. The dialogue recorded outdoors and in the kitchen leaves a lot to be desiired. Well, you'll probably be reading the sub-titles anyway, right? Unfortunately.... They, too, are really terribly sub-standard... I would say ....LOUSY!
7*******
ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!
