"The Fish and I" DepicT! Analysis

The fish and I

This Iranian, 90 second, short film for DepicT, is one I like a lot, due to its symbolic nature.  The film relies of its visual nature and with a lack of dialogue conveys a plot very well, which proves that actions can speak louder than words.

The film being in black and white is a good feature of it too, as it shows how simple yet effective the film is; the fish could be seen as something precious and the kitchen getting flooded, and the man shoving his shirt down the drain can be seen as the means people go to protect what’s important to them, and the sacrifices they will make for it.

 The angling of the camera is a good feature too, as it goes from showing the man at a high angle stumbling around in the glass to an angle where the camera is level with him sitting in the flooded kitchen; this can connote the man feelings powerless when not being able to find his fish going to a restored balance in power where he knows the fish is safe due to the kitchen being flooded and the drain being blocked.

This fits well into something like Todorov’s theory of equilibrium where the fact his fish is flopping on the floor is the state of disequilibrium and then when the fish swims into his hand, it turns back to a state of equilibrium as what is important to the man is safe.  

The films use of sound shows the importance of the fish, as the guy ignores a ringing phone in order to fumble around in broken glass to find his fish. The water can also be heard pouring out, which increases its significance as a major plot point in the narrative.

The film - https://www.depict.org/2017/the-fish-and-i/?category_request=2017