Little Fish, Big Fish…

Rated M 15+
Directed by: Rowan Woods
Written by: Jaqueline Perske

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Lisa McCune, Martin Henderson,
Noni Hazelhurst, Dustin Nguyen, Susie Porter

Cate is a suburban hero, Hugo a fallen hero in this gritty Aussie drama.

I wish there was a word in the English language that would accurately describe the performances in Little Fish.

The film itself plods along at a frustrating pace, but no matter how confusing and slow it seems, Little Fish is worth watching for nothing else than the astounding performances by some of Australia’s biggest fish and the best cast possibly ever assembled in Australia.

The storyline is not an original one: drugs, addiction, relationship tensions and criminal dealings plague the central character and we are taken on an emotional journey while she faces the past in order to move on.

Little Fish, the second feature from award-winning Australian director Rowan Woods, begins with Tracey Heart (Cate Blanchett) being persuaded by her friend to go to a school reunion. Tracey is reluctant because she “doesn’t go out much anymore” and so the first of many seeds of mystery are sown.

The first 20 minutes of the film is full of questions as relationships, characters and associated conflicts are thrown into the mix, and all we know is that these people shared something major together. That 'something' comes to light at the point when you are finally so frustrated you want to rewind and watch it again in slow-mo.

28 year-old Tracey is reformed from her previous life but still under the watchful eye of her mother Janelle (Noni Hazelhurst).

Tracey is a woman in pursuit of a humble dream: co-owning the video shop she has worked in for four years. Faced with a tight deadline to come up with the money, Tracey is frustrated with her past and the way it’s holding her back from raising capital for the venture.

However, it could just be her past that makes the dream become reality.