Written and directed by Wendi Tang, Jules has been sober for a year, but she can’t stop vomiting goldfish. Striving to put her life back on track, she must preserve control when a fish enthusiast unexpectedly enters her life. Starring: Tiffany Chu, Isaac Jay, John Charles Martin, Cindy Michelle, Julyza Commodore and Seong Park.
It’s a bold choice to make your opening shot one of someone heaving while angling the camera as if it were inside a toilet, not many people can pull that off, but Wendi Tang is one of them. Tang’s directorial style is genuinely excellent, all throughout Fishtank there are thoughtful, creative and smart choices to the visual. Supported by fantastic cinematography from Jay Swuen, injecting its aesthetic with a lot of feeling and depth.
There’s such a brilliant presence to Fishtank, it holds itself so confidently while telling a story of being dazed and confused for the most part. It effortlessly builds a compelling and captivating atmosphere which is enhanced by a strong, subtle score from Caroline Ho. As well as layering its personality with some superb editing work from Yijuan Zhao, which nicely leans into the edge of chaos to the story while holding its feet firmly on the ground.
All of which is then enhanced tenfold by the terrific lead performance from Tiffany Chu, who also starred in the wonderful Motherland which screened at HollyShorts last year, as well as having appeared in the vastly underrated Catch the Fair One. She delivers this portrayal of mental health and sobriety with the perfect tone. She’s strong yet vulnerable, on the edge yet in control, it’s an impressive balancing act. She’s also just hugely enjoyable to watch, bringing a curious and intriguing personality to Jules.
Choosing to put a metaphor at the heart of your story can be another risky choice but Tang nicely opens things up for interpretation. You can easily see how the fish could represent all manner of negative influences on Jules’ life, from misogyny to stress to the desire to drink. Tang creates a story that has a surprising sweetness but one that’s matched by a sadness. Its feeling and progression paired with the strong imagery and editing create an intimate tale with a highly creative and imaginative vein.
Fishtank is very personal and thoughtful but also unexpectedly entertaining, centring itself around such a wonderful character in Jules. Wendi Tang creates a story of a strange superpower, the ability to materialise the negativity in your life in the form of fish, who then provide an unusual kind of comfort. It’s quietly odd and utterly charming, the direction, cinematography, score and editing are all fantastic. Tiffany Chu then rounds things out with an impressive, memorable performance, which hopefully will be another rung in the ladder towards wider recognition for her talents.
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