This is a strange one.
First of all, the story was inspired by dreams the writer/director recalled from his time in an induced coma. Second, it includes a magical talking lobster. Third, it is divided into three very different parts.
Part 1: The Woman Searches for a Fish
A young American woman (who gives different names to different people) has just landed in Costa Rica. Ostensibly she is a marine biologist looking for a mythic fresh-water fish whose sightings have uniformly led to death. However, she is also searching for her long-estranged brother. As she makes her way across the country, searching various streams and lakes, she manages to alienate most who meet her and treat her with kindness. It is as if they are there only to serve her quest, or that she fears creating a positive bond with anyone.
Part 2: The Fisherman
A poor fisherman on an island off the Costa Rican coast leads a lonely life. One day while out on the ocean, his net brings up a lobster. The lobster is magical and begins speaking to the fisherman, telling him that, in return for sparing his life, he will grant any wish. The lonely fisherman asks for a son. Later, he spots a man clinging to a tree branch in the water and rescues him. His wish has been rewarded, but as the lobster says, you never know what kind of son you will get.
Part 3: Death
This one will be explained if you watch the movie!
The film was written and directed by Harry Domenico Rossi, and he does well in his feature directorial debut. He manages to capture the driven, self-centered nature of his heroine (Alex Wanebo) and the sullen erratic nature of her brother, Trent (Spencer Bang – “The Audition”). And one certainly comes to commiserate with the people these two abuse along the way, especially Trent’s “father,” the fisherman (Mario Chacon). If you ever run across a talking lobster in a seafood restaurant, order something else.
The story, also written by Rossi, deal with family – both estranged and sought, inter-relationships, and the effect of single minded mania on those around you. All this is set in the lush interior and coastal regions of Costa Rica, where all the filming took place.
If you are looking for offbeat characters who do not illicit your compassion, and whose behavior is at times those of dangerous infant or spoiled brat, plus a splash if magical realism, this is the film for you.
Runtime: One hour, 47 minutes
Availability: Currently on the independent film festival circuit.
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