"Fable of the Fish" tells the story of a Filipino couple that moves from the countryside into the big city. Unblessed with children, their joy is even bigger when the woman gets pregnant in her already high age. Miraculoussly, she doesn't give birth to a human being but to a fish, instead. Now both have to find their own way to cope with what has happened.
This film is a typical example for what the magic of cinema can be. It crosses borders, imagines the bizarre and yet doesn't fear to take itself serious at the same time. I don't see so much of a fable here, rather it is a tale of acceptance and the sometimes difficult attempt to cope with the general perception of normality within and outside of the family. Of course you need to accept the rather fantastic setting of the movie and some people won't, but in my eyes it gives this film a turn that is to be respected. Apart from that the producers deliver impressing pictures from a world so full of poverty that you can not but be ashamed viewing it with western eyes, yet a community so rich in life and love that it is nonetheless easy to find access.
All in all this is not just another try to be different by force but it is a deeply moving family story that only is dominated by the surreal on the surface. It is maybe falsely declared as a fable, but it is surely a powerful tale.
This film is a typical example for what the magic of cinema can be. It crosses borders, imagines the bizarre and yet doesn't fear to take itself serious at the same time. I don't see so much of a fable here, rather it is a tale of acceptance and the sometimes difficult attempt to cope with the general perception of normality within and outside of the family. Of course you need to accept the rather fantastic setting of the movie and some people won't, but in my eyes it gives this film a turn that is to be respected. Apart from that the producers deliver impressing pictures from a world so full of poverty that you can not but be ashamed viewing it with western eyes, yet a community so rich in life and love that it is nonetheless easy to find access.
All in all this is not just another try to be different by force but it is a deeply moving family story that only is dominated by the surreal on the surface. It is maybe falsely declared as a fable, but it is surely a powerful tale.
