I saw Swim Little Fish Swim in a local festival. When I first looked at the rating on IMDb, it was 8.1 or something with 37 votes. I've decided that basically consisted of the actors and crew (with some of the crew perhaps abstaining since they have some integrity or taste).
And why would a film that played Rotterdam have so few votes anyway? Don't misunderstand me. SLFS has its moments. Some of its satire of the New York arts scene is dead on. There's some interesting music. The acting (at least on the part of the 3-person family at center)is not bad. But most of the movie is, well, self-indulgent twaddle. As Variety correctly notes, there's "a certain tweeness" about this picture. The word "cloying" also comes up in the review. One Krispy Kreme donut may be a pleasure. Eating an entire box of them by yourself will make you sick. This film has the same effect and it lasts longer. I kept wanting to leave, but I stuck it out on cinephile principle. And it was painful. Hipster whimsy is one thing. Hipster whimsy with sprinkles and a sparkler on top is something else. I have a feeling that much of the twaddle and self-indulgence can be laid at the feet of Lola Bessis, who decided to cast herself as irritating gamine extraordinaire and had her SO, Ruben Amar, shoot her oh so lovingly and shoot the only mature character in the film, Mary, like a wizened shrew. S'il vous plait Lola, come on.
And why would a film that played Rotterdam have so few votes anyway? Don't misunderstand me. SLFS has its moments. Some of its satire of the New York arts scene is dead on. There's some interesting music. The acting (at least on the part of the 3-person family at center)is not bad. But most of the movie is, well, self-indulgent twaddle. As Variety correctly notes, there's "a certain tweeness" about this picture. The word "cloying" also comes up in the review. One Krispy Kreme donut may be a pleasure. Eating an entire box of them by yourself will make you sick. This film has the same effect and it lasts longer. I kept wanting to leave, but I stuck it out on cinephile principle. And it was painful. Hipster whimsy is one thing. Hipster whimsy with sprinkles and a sparkler on top is something else. I have a feeling that much of the twaddle and self-indulgence can be laid at the feet of Lola Bessis, who decided to cast herself as irritating gamine extraordinaire and had her SO, Ruben Amar, shoot her oh so lovingly and shoot the only mature character in the film, Mary, like a wizened shrew. S'il vous plait Lola, come on.