From out of the sea and this year’s Venice Biennale, comes writer and director Zoey Martinson’s whimsical comedy The Fisherman. Atta (Ricky Adelayitar) is a traditional Ghanaian fisherman struggling against the encroachment of modern life. Kids with their selfies and electric fish finders scramble his brain until one day he finds a talking fish.
Adelayitar gives the role a loveable energy with just the right amount of cantankerousness. He has a W.C. Fields quality without the alcoholism. He’s funniest when he’s giving the shit back to those who torment him. Like when, instead of the promotion he deserves to boat captain, he receives an employee of the month card made with glitter that’s come all the way from Accra.
Accra is where he will go in hopes of getting the money he needs to buy his own boat. He leaves his fishing village with Koobi the talking fish (voiced by Abdulazeem Dulo Harris) and three young people. Kobina (William Lamptey) and Emmanuel (Kiki-Romi) grew up together as two orphaned boys and work with Atta. And Shasha (Endurance Dedzo), the daughter of the current boat chief who is not allowed to go out on the fishing boats despite her degree from the Regional Maritime University.
The talking fish has his own desires, many sexual. He expresses both desire for the city fish in the aquarium and a cross-species attraction for Beyonce which will be consummated in a certain way. He makes bawdy jokes but also puns like social media content not making him feel content. The comedy of the whole film veers between Disney Channel sitcom style situations and more adult topics. The middle part of the movie has funny complications that reset fairly quickly.
It’s unclear whether this is an actual magical fish talking to Atta, or a product of his own mind. The fish has cultural knowledge and references like Beyonce which Atta doesn’t know, suggesting it’s not just him going crazy. Unless, like the plastics polluting the sea, the fish represents modern culture subconsciously infiltrating his brain.
Obviously to enjoy the movie, we just have to accept the fish. But it’s also fun to think about how the fish would make sense in this world. What does it mean that this fish allies himself with his natural enemy, the fisherman? He at one point refers to himself proudly as top cuisine, so he knows himself as food. He requests a bathtub full of champagne, but surely the carbonated bubbles and alcohol would kill him if he were to suicidally swim in it. He stinks but he does not visually rot.
Atta is referred to as “oluu”, someone who has outlived their purpose. Shasha is blocked from her dream career because she is a woman. Kobina and Emmanuel are stuck at the bottom because of their poverty. Like the fish, to what extent do we accept our role as chum, krill, for society to chew up. Atta plays his own role in this, having a strained relationship with his daughter because she’s moved away to Accra to pursue a more lucrative career.
The feel good moments of growth and positive change in the movie are so numerous that some feel earned while others feel rushed. Yes it’s a movie about talking fish, but some of the reveals and changes in people are whiplash quick, and some moments are occasionally schmaltzy. I personally would have preferred 15 percent less heartwarming moments and 50 percent more talking fish fun. Less human more fish please.
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