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VJFF Review – A Fish Tale floats along passionately

Israel, Israel. The home of many young couples. In this documentary the focus is one young couple named Johnny and Therese  Anouko from Ghana who planned to live there so they could soon live a better life. They have a young son named Innocent who they take care of, while their first set of twins are back in Africa. Life in Israel is pretty basic for them until something changes. Some bad news comes to Johnny’s family when he learns his father passes away and he has to move back to his home in Africa to take over the family business, breeding fish and selling them. Johnny decides he’s going to go back and learn to be a fisherman for once since it’s something he wanted to do for quite a while. First on his journey, he decides to consult a professional fish breeder to teach him how it’s done properly. He connects with a worker named Yoav who handles fish producing for a living. So far, the lessons are going well, and the plans for moving are coming along okay. During the preparations, Johnny continues to contact his brother and give him the news about his new skills and that he may need more time to get things done efficiently. Not only that, but Johnny’s time is delayed even further when Therese is pregnant again and has twin sisters. Soon, things get worse in Israel when the new leader decides to have African immigrants deported almost instantly, thus making things go further out of hand. Johnny continues his lessons and tries to steer clear of the police since some of his friends are already being arrested. So he has no choice but to send his wife and kids back to Africa while he finishes business back in Tel Aviv. But when that happens, he doesn’t hear from Therese because she didn’t go to Africa, she chose to move to the Netherlands so the kids won’t suffer. How does Johnny deal with his lost family and keeping up with learning? Does he ever make it to Africa? You’ll figure out when you see it.

In all honesty, it’s not much for a documentary because it’s short and simplistic but it’s certainly a sad one to watch when you see the perspective of immigrants who get treated in such a harsh manner. The story is a blend of funny, sad, and even informative. The many different shots of the several locations is quite scenic, and the subjects shown make you feel a certain connection. It’s also interesting to see where things go and what decisions are made. Despite footage being from around 10 years time, Emmanuelle Mayer manages to sum it up in a timely manner lasting less than an hour. A heartwarming film about life in Israel that shouldn’t be missed.

 

 

 

 

 

A Fish Tale screens as part of the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival at the Norman Rothstein Theatre on March 6th, 1PM.

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