User Reviews

"The life of fish",a Chilean movie by the acclaimed director Matias bize offers an excellent journey through emotions.This movie shows us the power of narrative films.This simple movie which lacks huge sets and wild scenes offers a claustrophobic atmosphere.Usage of silence and slow motions were done with clinical precision, that they adds to the totality of the theme.The characters are very realistic and we can relate to them,because this tells the story of a person who regrets about his past.

The background score and conversations really boosts the movie in many situations.We can feel the tension between the two lead protagonists.Blanca Lewin once again shows us that she is a class act.Her facial expressions together with background music was quiet a treat.This movie will be very close to those who regrets on their missed opportunities in life.There are scenes in the movie, which will be in your mind even after you finish watching,one in which Andrea and bea talks in front of an aquarium watching two golden angel fishes swimming peacefully.Emotionally tense conversations coupled with an aquarium scene really shows the craft and caliber of this new film maker.The second scene is the climax scene, i am not going to explain it.This scene is one of the best scene of its genera.This is a gripping film , because of its script and style of film making .Hats off to Matias for making a film which offers us a journey through emotions.

my rating is 7.5 out of 10

How many times have we contemplated a tank full of beautiful colored fish? It seems to be the ideal place to be. There are no confrontations, just a wonderful space full of water where these creatures swim to their heart's content. One can only wish life would be so simple as that peaceful scene we just mentioned.

Alas, for Andres, a Chilean living in Germany, life has been hard. He has returned to Santiago for one last look. He does not intend to return to his country any time soon. Not being able to avoid attending one of his good friends birthday party, he goes. Being in the company of friends he has not seen in over ten years brings back emotions he thought he had forgotten.

Pablo, Guille, Roberto, and Ignacio, were his good friends of his youth, now much older with families of their own, they stand in clear contrast with his empty life. Talking with Mariana, who is pregnant, evokes feelings of a wasted life. It is not until he comes face to face with Beatriz, that Andres realizes how much he left behind. Having loved her so much, she seems to be happy to see him again. The dynamic for them has changed and coming back is essential for Andres to have closure on his old life.

Andres suggests to go to a quiet place to talk. Beatriz reveals she had been to Berlin, where he lives, but did not call him. Their conversation gives us a clue as to what could have been so terrible for Andres' sudden departure, not keeping a rendezvous with Beatriz. She is married now, the mother of twin girls. Escaping her present life is not an option for her anymore. A dejected Andres must accept his present life; it will never be the same again, in spite of what they both feel about each other.

Matias Bize, the director and co-writer of this extraordinary Chilean film is a man that shows a talent for delving into emotions long repressed. The film takes an elegiac look at a love that suffered from an unusual reverse at the time the lovers thought nothing would come between them. It is a sad story, full of reproaches on both sides. Mr. Bize spins a good story in its 84 minutes running time. This is a reflective film told in the slow pace that seems to be a favorite for a lot of Latin American directors.

One thing Mr. Bize has excelled is in the amazing acting he gets from his wonderful cast. Santiago Cabrera's Andres needs to be singled out as one of the best performances in recent memory. Same could be said for the quiet dignity of Blanca Lewin, who had worked previously with the director. One cannot get enough of Antonia Zegers the wonderful actress of "Post Mortem". Her part is not big, but she impresses with her Mariana.

Barbara Alvarez, the cinematographer captures in vivid images, mostly in close-ups what the characters are going through. The music score is by Diego Fontecilla. We look forward to Mr. Bize's next project. He is a new voice that must be reckoned with.

There is not much to the hidden drama behind the protagonists long time absence from his home town.

It gets revealed and that is the end of it for that part and ends there without being weaved into the present story.

The movie just consists of people having lengthy conversations. Him and his friends, him with the ex girlfriend and him and so on & so on. It just lasts too long and you feel like fast forwarding it to a mediocre ending.

The cast makes the best of it though so that's a plus for this one but it just doesn't grab you.

If you're not from Chile, or you don't have experienced what is to live in EXIL, been outside your country for over 5 years, YOU'LL NOT CATCH ALL THE FEELINGS involve in this film, and HOW GOOD IT IS!!!!

First, just because the Dialogs here are VERY, VERY REAL and GOOD, and VERY, VERY CHILEAN. That's really enjoyable and funny enough to make this film nice.

Second, if you don't have experience, what is to have lived outside your country for over 7 or 10 years, you will not get it, what's going on in this film. It is about an INTERN PROCESS, to find yourself, your origins, where your from, and to make peace with them, TO MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PAST. To close a door, to try to look forward, by not to forget too, WHERE ARE YOU FROM...

Because you're arrived now nowhere, in NOMANS LAND, feel like an strange alien, because your old life is already gone, but still living with the feeling, that you don't belongs to the new place, where you live now. WHAT IS THAT CALLED "HOME", when you're in between 2 WORLDS, 2 DIFFERENT places, and many, many different people. A very difficult topic, to make a movie about it, anyway!!!