The 2014 Canadian Music Week Film Festival is here with an eclectic mix of movie premieres, special screenings, retro rarities and limited engagements and T-Mak World will be there.
May 10th, 2014: As much as we would like to live our lives free of suffocating expectations and social conformity, for many, this is but a mere pipe dream. Some will rail, others retreat and still others will find the inner resolve to carve out a new path far apart from the predefined family direction. It takes a village and for Lilas (Lola Bessis), this village includes a thriving network of New York’s finest art-house and bohemian types to help her reach the next stage in life. “Swim Little Fish Swim” is an Indie rooted foot loose and fancy free story about finding oneself, determining where we fit in and the choices we make along the way.
Caught under the art world shroud of her mother’s Françoise de Castillon (Anne Consigny), pedigree, Lilas passes on the best art schools in Paris to establish her own artistic brand in New York City. A series of false starts has her questioning if she really made the right choice. For their hand to mouth existence Mary (Brooke Bloom), and Leeward (Dustin Guy Defa), a young couple trying to stay one step ahead in the rat race find themselves quickly falling behind. While Mary works grueling nursing shifts to make ends meet, Leeward transforms their cubbyhole Chinatown apartment into a pseudo soapbox drop-in centre to rant on the ills of capitalism. Home really isn’t home anymore and Mary is sick of Leeward’s stalled career aspirations as a fledgling folk musician in favour of rampant idealism. And as slow as Leeward appears his expertise on the short grift comes in handy at the most opportune times. But, the center of their world has got to be their three year old daughter Maggie / Rainbow (Olivia Durling Costello), whose dual name may subconsciously echo the division between the parents. First time feature and Co-Director Lola Bessis successfully harnesses the whimsical sensibilities of the hippie beatnik New York vibe by threading creative bohemian elements of experimental media, spoken word, music and other random musings.
Intersecting storylines of family values, career and self-actualization gets an altogether redo within a Warholian artscape. At its core, Swim Little Fish Swim is an artistic play on the fish out of water paradigm as fresh faced Lilas struggle to find sure footing abroad which becomes her nucleus for discovery. Strong themes of escapism integrate with elements of frustration, magic and comedic elements. Leeward’s shlubbish indifference is firmly roots at the feet of his equally suffocating parents. Shabbat dinner in all its neurotic best has scene stealing turns by Leeward’s mother as once again he becomes a silent partner in the direction of his life. Where we see currency in Leeward’s demeanor is his fanciful interaction with daughter Maggie. From experimental cereal magic to folk musical creations in the vein of Prefab Sprout, Leeward’s silky voice belies his down market inadequacies.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5: Lighthearted and lyrical, Swim Little Fish Swim seeks to engage its viewers through strong storytelling. Stronger still are the connections helmers Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar creates through conflicts between our fully formed central characters. As a character study on dysfunctional relationships and individuality, Swim Little Fish Swim exceeds swimmingly. This is all well and good but finding any sense of real struggle or true tragedy within this quirky nebbish little film is left wanting. The narrative safety net has been deployed and is firmly in place to ensure that the character investments we have made up front receive the necessary payouts.
Final Thought: The water is refreshing, come on in.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Country: USA, France
Language: English, French (with subtitles)
Release Date: 2013
Director: Lola Bessis, Ruben Amar
Writer: Lola Bessis, Ruben Amar
Producers: Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis
Production Company: Les Films de la Fusée
Premiere: Toronto
Runetime: 95 Minutes
Website: http://swimlittlefishswim.com/
Cast: Lola Bessis, Dustin Guy Defa, Anne Consigny, Brooke Bloom, Olivia Durling Costello
