August 14, 2007
Little Fish Released in the UK last July, and going by almost unnoticed, was this excellent Australian film that saw Cate Blanchett returning to her national roots in the kind of gritty, ‘woman of today’ role she does best (see also Veronica Guerin). Beautifully acted, expertly directed and extremely moving, Little Fish is a gem well worth seeking out on DVD or FilmFour.
The story of a recovered heroin addict whose past comes back to haunt her, and benefiting hugely from director Rowan Woods’ decision to set the film in a little known suburb of Western Sydney commonly referred to as “Little Saigon”, Little Fish is a haunting, gripping meditation on love, family and addiction. Tracy (Blanchett) is 32, lives with her mum, and manages a video shop. She’s an ex junkie who’s (just about) managed to rebuild her life, but the people around her (Lionel, her smack-addled ex step father and friend, played by Hugo Weaving; Jonny, an ex boyfriend who returns from four years in Canada; Ray, her little brother) keep threatening to drag her back in to her old ways. She wants to go into partnership with her boss and expand the shop, but the banks won’t give her a loan because of her poor credit history. When the ‘opportunity’ to get the money is presented to her, its hard to resist …
Woods handles this material brilliantly, alighting on episodes in the characters' lives in a distinctly fly-on-the-wall manner that makes the viewer feel like an observer witnessing a few key weeks in the lives of a group of friends. Many of these characters are not precisely likeable, but it’s hard not to identify with most of them at one point or another. Blanchett is remarkable, infusing Tracy with a fascinating, and not always comfortable mixture of plausibility, angst and sympathy. Even after years away from Australia, she shows she’s capable of going home, re-gaining the accent, and blending back into her mother nation’s capital with consummate ease.
Although the somewhat aloof tone of the film will frustrate some, it is well worth persevering with, not least because the story builds towards a climax that is both surprising and extremely moving.
The story of a recovered heroin addict whose past comes back to haunt her, and benefiting hugely from director Rowan Woods’ decision to set the film in a little known suburb of Western Sydney commonly referred to as “Little Saigon”, Little Fish is a haunting, gripping meditation on love, family and addiction. Tracy (Blanchett) is 32, lives with her mum, and manages a video shop. She’s an ex junkie who’s (just about) managed to rebuild her life, but the people around her (Lionel, her smack-addled ex step father and friend, played by Hugo Weaving; Jonny, an ex boyfriend who returns from four years in Canada; Ray, her little brother) keep threatening to drag her back in to her old ways. She wants to go into partnership with her boss and expand the shop, but the banks won’t give her a loan because of her poor credit history. When the ‘opportunity’ to get the money is presented to her, its hard to resist …
Woods handles this material brilliantly, alighting on episodes in the characters' lives in a distinctly fly-on-the-wall manner that makes the viewer feel like an observer witnessing a few key weeks in the lives of a group of friends. Many of these characters are not precisely likeable, but it’s hard not to identify with most of them at one point or another. Blanchett is remarkable, infusing Tracy with a fascinating, and not always comfortable mixture of plausibility, angst and sympathy. Even after years away from Australia, she shows she’s capable of going home, re-gaining the accent, and blending back into her mother nation’s capital with consummate ease.
Although the somewhat aloof tone of the film will frustrate some, it is well worth persevering with, not least because the story builds towards a climax that is both surprising and extremely moving.