FISH CHILD, THE (EL NINO PEZ)

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Dir: Lucia Puenzo, France/Spain, 2008, 35mm, 96min
Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Drama, Foreign Language, Romance
Identity: Lesbian

Centrepiece Presentation. Puenzo’s debut feature was 2007’s critically acclaimed and multi award-winning intersex drama XXY (which took home the Critics' Week Grand Prize at Cannes and screened at MQFF 2008 Closing Night). For her follow-up she has adapted her own novel to tell a searing tale of a passionate lesbian love affair strong enough to withstand class difference, incarceration, abuse and murder. Born into a life of privilege and affluence Lala (the remarkable Inés Efron, who also played the lead in XXY and is no relation to Zac!), first saw the family’s Paraguayan maid, Ailin/Guayi, at the age of 13 and, as she tells a friend, has had eyes for no one else ever since.

Puenzo draws exquisite and courageous performances from both of her lead actresses, as well as the supporting cast. She has set herself quite a task – the film encompasses endemic corruption, classism, sexual abuse and much more, while also dipping into magic and superstition: the title refers to a mythical figure believed to help drowning people find their way to the bottom of the lake. That Puenzo pulls all these threads together is testament to her skill as a filmmaker. Pay attention though, because she also uses a non-linear construction, making frequent use of flashback in this engrossing and powerful drama. (MS)

Co-presented by ACMI