An interesting portrayal of how heroin addiction impacts a cross section of people in suburban Sydney. The "little fish" in the multi-million dollar heroin trade swim around in circles, trying to escape the lives they are stuck with some with more success than others. Tracy (Cate Blanchett) lives with the legacy of her former addiction, faced with temptation to fall back to her old ways, and constantly hitting a brick wall in her attempts to start her own business and escape her stagnant existence. Blanchett is, of course, strong in her portrayal, which was apparently inspired by her real-life interviews with addicts. The moment when she is tempted to return to her old ways is genuinely disturbing. Noni Hazelhurst is particularly excellent as tormented mum Janelle, desperate to keep her family from sinking, once again, into the mire. Hugo Weaving is convincing in his role has a drug-addled former football hero. His strong performance is boosted by his startling physical transformation. Watch out for Dustin Nguyen, who you might remember from '80s teen cop show 21 Jump Street. His accent is a little confused, which we can probably write off as the result of his character's multi-national background. Although the pic meanders a bit to begin with, taking some time to build up pace, it's a generally satisfying exploration of the underside of life in Sydney suburbia. Some sub-plots work much better than others, but the film is well worth a look, especially if you are a fan of the talented cast who generally shine here.
69 Reviews
hated the dialogue
Bigbang3 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Another indie movie where the dialogue stinks. Nobody speaks in clear, understandable sentences. Everything is vague, ambiguous and one-word. So your task in every scene is to figure out what the hell is going on. It's like a job. Instead of being entertained you're working. Indie movies think this dialogue is realistic, but it isn't. This isn't how people talk. People speak clearly and make sure you understand what they're talking about. I know people are miserable but wow these people are just hopeless. I didn't even like Cate in this and I usually love her.
I'm also tired of movies about drug addicts. It's so 80s and early 90s. Don't get me wrong...
I'm also tired of movies about drug addicts. It's so 80s and early 90s. Don't get me wrong...
excellent acting
gsygsy2 August 2006
This is an interesting movie, well worth seeing, even though it has substantial failings. Evenness of pace is probably its most debilitating aspect: the slow, steady plod to the climax prevents that climax from being quite as climactic as it should be. Also, the director and his DOP are too in love with the hand-held camera for their own good: too much of it really is irritating, and there is much too much of it in this film. Having said that, there are some wonderful shots and juxtaposition of shots, moving us from warm reds to cool blues and back again. As far as the plot is concerned, the characters are all too neatly slotted into it, emphasising the story's artificiality, which plays against naturalism of the acting, just as the snappy editing plays against the hand-held camera-work. .Compare and contrast THE USUAL SUSPECTS, which is so wonderfully artificial throughout that its story's twists, turns and games, and the theatrical turns from most of its cast add up to something very entertaining. LITTLE FISH, in the end, perhaps takes itself a little too seriously.
That's the carping out of the way. The good news is that the acting is terrific. Blanchett is a rare leading actress, capable of convincing us she's an ordinary working girl - one simply can't imagine, for example, Kidman taking this role on and making it so real and touching. Sam Neill, cast against type, is wonderfully loathsome. Martin Henderson, Dustin Nguyen, Joel Tobeck - all give top-class support. But the revelation is Hugo Weaving, who is magnificent as the drug-addicted former star-sportsman. Can this be the same actor who has been marking his time in THE MATRIX and LORD OF THE RINGS? Amazingly, it is. A totally convincing transformation. All in all, an only just better-than-average thriller, greatly enhanced by its actors.
That's the carping out of the way. The good news is that the acting is terrific. Blanchett is a rare leading actress, capable of convincing us she's an ordinary working girl - one simply can't imagine, for example, Kidman taking this role on and making it so real and touching. Sam Neill, cast against type, is wonderfully loathsome. Martin Henderson, Dustin Nguyen, Joel Tobeck - all give top-class support. But the revelation is Hugo Weaving, who is magnificent as the drug-addicted former star-sportsman. Can this be the same actor who has been marking his time in THE MATRIX and LORD OF THE RINGS? Amazingly, it is. A totally convincing transformation. All in all, an only just better-than-average thriller, greatly enhanced by its actors.
Just One Last Trade Before Moving To A Better Life
Chrysanthepop20 April 2008
As Cate Blanchett said herself, 'Little Fish' is about the people between the middle class and lower class, those who are struggling with their daily lives and are largely ignored. Perske's screenplay is good but it could have been a little tighter as the film does drag at some portions. Woods is good and he brings a certain realness (with the help of the actors) in portraying the complex relationships between the characters. All the main characters, most of them 'recovered' addicts and some returning addicts, try to seek a better life but there is just 'one last trade' that would 'get them to their goals'. Dustin Nguyen (in spite of an uneven accent), Martin Hendersen, Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving are all adequate in their parts and Noni Hazelhurst is wonderful. However, 'Little Fish' belongs to Cate Blanchett. One can see a Blanchett that's completely different from her Hollywood films (then again she's always different in each of her movies). A difficult part required an immensely talented actress and she just makes the task look easy. There's a frightening scene where Cate's Tracy is tempted to 'return' but then a magical scene follows where she walks into a choir rehearsal of a group of singing Vietnamese children and she is confused, conflicted and eventually comforted. This one profound scene was so brilliantly executed with the long shot camera, the innocent voices of the children as they sing the powerful words, and Cate asking repeatedly where the bathroom is while being confused, that the strength of it stays in mind long after the end credits have rolled.
The reviews praise the depth this film; for me it drops off the esoteric edge.
Jim62618 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
That Little Fish stretches a canvas for actors like Kate Blanchett to sketch top notch characters I have no contest. If watching actors nail roles is your idea of film then see Little Fish, but if story captures you, beware. The reviews praise the depth this film; for me it drops off the esoteric edge.
Little Fish provides a metaphor for the plastic fish designed to hold soy sauce yet double as drug containers. The characters are also little fish swimming in a pool of drugs, life gone wrong, fighting life's currents in a rushing stream.
Tracey, exquisitely played by Blanchett, says in the third act something to the effect, "I just want the money for my business." Don't we all. She has a job - manager of a video store - a plan - open an internet café - but cannot secure the loan because of her history. She was a drug addict from following her pusher boyfriend's lead, has a lousy credit history and the shortsighted bank will not see her vision and loan her about $40k.
The characters in this film made destructive choices and now face payback or change. An ex-boyfriend played by Hugo Weaving just cannot kick his habit; you don't kick habits in your bedroom. Tracey's ex-boyfriend shows up feigning redemption yet still pushes drugs because he cannot muster strength to sell stocks after a four-year opportunity. Tracy, four years clean, struggles with the temptation to relapse - yet she wants her job money. I feel no pity. It is hard to invest in characters who refuse to invest in themselves.
Reviews praise the director for making us feel the characters could be any of us; I did not buy it. Life can betray anyone, yet choices remain and when bad ones are made pity never saves. People's lives do not get complicated by drugs, people complicate their lives through bad choices. Little Fish would have captured my sympathies if it only showed a little spine.
If you want to swim in a hole of sorrow, pity, and dead end; then Little Fish will hook you. If you want a positive look at pursuing a dream, see My Date with Drew.
Little Fish provides a metaphor for the plastic fish designed to hold soy sauce yet double as drug containers. The characters are also little fish swimming in a pool of drugs, life gone wrong, fighting life's currents in a rushing stream.
Tracey, exquisitely played by Blanchett, says in the third act something to the effect, "I just want the money for my business." Don't we all. She has a job - manager of a video store - a plan - open an internet café - but cannot secure the loan because of her history. She was a drug addict from following her pusher boyfriend's lead, has a lousy credit history and the shortsighted bank will not see her vision and loan her about $40k.
The characters in this film made destructive choices and now face payback or change. An ex-boyfriend played by Hugo Weaving just cannot kick his habit; you don't kick habits in your bedroom. Tracey's ex-boyfriend shows up feigning redemption yet still pushes drugs because he cannot muster strength to sell stocks after a four-year opportunity. Tracy, four years clean, struggles with the temptation to relapse - yet she wants her job money. I feel no pity. It is hard to invest in characters who refuse to invest in themselves.
Reviews praise the director for making us feel the characters could be any of us; I did not buy it. Life can betray anyone, yet choices remain and when bad ones are made pity never saves. People's lives do not get complicated by drugs, people complicate their lives through bad choices. Little Fish would have captured my sympathies if it only showed a little spine.
If you want to swim in a hole of sorrow, pity, and dead end; then Little Fish will hook you. If you want a positive look at pursuing a dream, see My Date with Drew.
Trapped in the Past
claudio_carvalho18 March 2007
In Sidney, Tracey Heart (Cate Blanchet) is a thirty-two years old manager of a video shop ex-addicted in heroin and clean for four years. She is trying to raise forty thousand dollars to buy a shop for computer games on the next door of the rental and become partner of her boss, but based on her negative records, the banks deny the loan. Tracey takes care of her junkie stepfather Lionel Dawson (Hugo Weaving), unsuccessfully trying to make him quit his heroin habit. When her former boy-friend Jonny (Dustin Nguyen) returns from Vancouver, Tracey's mother Janelle (Noni Hazlehurst) fears a fall of Tracey, while she blames Jonny for the car accident where her son Ray (Martin Henderson) lost one leg. When Ray and Jonny associate to Moss (Joel Tobeck), the assistant of the retired criminal boss Bradley 'The Jockey' Thompson (Sam Neill), in drug dealing, Tracey is convinced by Jonny to join them and raise the necessary money for her business along the weekend.
"Little Fish" is a heavy drama, based on losers, people addicted in drugs, showing how difficult the recovery is. The lead character is a woman without perspective in life that sees the chance of a good honest business, but with the doors closed due to her past, being therefore trapped in her past. Her mother suffers in double, since her former mate addicted her daughter and her son, who lost part of one leg with Jonny. The story is original, having the characters very well developed along the narrative and with great performances. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Sob o Efeito da Água" ("Under the Effect of the Water")
"Little Fish" is a heavy drama, based on losers, people addicted in drugs, showing how difficult the recovery is. The lead character is a woman without perspective in life that sees the chance of a good honest business, but with the doors closed due to her past, being therefore trapped in her past. Her mother suffers in double, since her former mate addicted her daughter and her son, who lost part of one leg with Jonny. The story is original, having the characters very well developed along the narrative and with great performances. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Sob o Efeito da Água" ("Under the Effect of the Water")
Couldn't really watch it
siderite2 April 2006
You say drama, you say it all. Some drug addicts, wannabe drug addicts and former drug addicts meet together in a film that is long, banal and boring. I know I probably missed something, everybody else says it's a masterpiece. I took the film to see Hugo Weaving, instead I found a self pitying junkie.
It's not that the movie was not good, or that the acting was not good, it just didn't fit with my mood and it was all dialog and a bit of crying here and there, a little anger outburst, a bit of crying some more... I just didn't have the stomach for a movie that basically says drugs are bad for an hour and a half.
It's not that the movie was not good, or that the acting was not good, it just didn't fit with my mood and it was all dialog and a bit of crying here and there, a little anger outburst, a bit of crying some more... I just didn't have the stomach for a movie that basically says drugs are bad for an hour and a half.
If You Are Into Things OZ...
Arthur2174310 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If you are into things about Australia (as I am) you might be tempted to see this movie.
If you succumb to the temptation, here is what you can expect to see:
* A movie full of losers with capital L's.
* A movie full of drug addiction.
* No discernible plot.
* No apparent purpose for making this flick.
* A beginning and end that seem to be totally disconnected from the middle.
* People who tell lies to try to compensate for their failures as human beings.
* Losers who enable each other to stay losers.
* A mother who is a failure at raising and disciplining her children, presumably compensating for the lack of a father by spoiling her offspring to death and anguishing over the result.
One positive note here: Cate does a wonderful job of portraying her character (Tracy), who by the way finally shows a bit of spunk at the end, though this hardly rights the wrong she committed by embezzling money in the first place. No amount of good acting could get me to like her character, however. All I could think is that life is about choices and the wrong choices bring with them consequences. If I could feel sorry for Tracy it would be because nobody cared enough to teach her that. But since she was a fictional character I didn't bother to care about her in the first place. Or maybe I remained detached because I have learned that to care about terminal losers is a waste of love and nothing in the end had showed me that she would eventually turn out OK.
The only other good thing I can see about this movie is that it is a hard look at junkies and what can happen to someone who is thinking about dabbling in drugs. But it is so poorly crafted I had to wonder if people who are themselves real addicts made this movie.
Well, there is one thing that wowed me. When Tracy flopped her head on the bed the camera was in just the right spot to frame her face perfectly. That bit of camera work really impressed me. If you watch this movie you will see why. As someone else mentioned, it looked like the movie was shot with a hand-held camera.
If you succumb to the temptation, here is what you can expect to see:
* A movie full of losers with capital L's.
* A movie full of drug addiction.
* No discernible plot.
* No apparent purpose for making this flick.
* A beginning and end that seem to be totally disconnected from the middle.
* People who tell lies to try to compensate for their failures as human beings.
* Losers who enable each other to stay losers.
* A mother who is a failure at raising and disciplining her children, presumably compensating for the lack of a father by spoiling her offspring to death and anguishing over the result.
One positive note here: Cate does a wonderful job of portraying her character (Tracy), who by the way finally shows a bit of spunk at the end, though this hardly rights the wrong she committed by embezzling money in the first place. No amount of good acting could get me to like her character, however. All I could think is that life is about choices and the wrong choices bring with them consequences. If I could feel sorry for Tracy it would be because nobody cared enough to teach her that. But since she was a fictional character I didn't bother to care about her in the first place. Or maybe I remained detached because I have learned that to care about terminal losers is a waste of love and nothing in the end had showed me that she would eventually turn out OK.
The only other good thing I can see about this movie is that it is a hard look at junkies and what can happen to someone who is thinking about dabbling in drugs. But it is so poorly crafted I had to wonder if people who are themselves real addicts made this movie.
Well, there is one thing that wowed me. When Tracy flopped her head on the bed the camera was in just the right spot to frame her face perfectly. That bit of camera work really impressed me. If you watch this movie you will see why. As someone else mentioned, it looked like the movie was shot with a hand-held camera.
Some little fish get caught, some get clean away
Philby-310 September 2005
Rowan Woods' previous film, "The Boys" (1997) had a certain detachment as he examined the psychology of the perpetrators of a particularly nasty crime - watching it was like looking at bugs through a microscope, though it did feature a truly brilliant performance by David Wenham. In this film from a script by Jacqueline Perske he takes a warmer and certainly a lighter look at some rather unprepossessing people living in the south-western suburbs of Sydney - specifically Cabramatta.
Tracey is a former heroin addict, clean for the last four years but with a less than perfect credit record, who is trying to buy a share in the video shop she is working in so she can expand into the internet gaming business (hey, isn't that illegal in Australia?). Her friend Lionel, a former football star and ex-boyfriend of her mother's is still an addict. As she tries unsuccessfully to raise money from some almost comically reluctant financiers she become involved in looking after Lionel, who seems to have a rather close relationship with Jockey, a local hoodlum and drug dealer and his sidekick Steve. Her Vietnamese-Australian ex-boyfriend Johnny suddenly arrives on the scene after four years away and is soon involved in a drug deal with her one-legged (and rather stupid) brother Ray. The "Little Fish" of the title turn out to be those little plastic fish than come with soy sauce inside them in East Asian restaurants, recycled to contain amphetamines, but it could equally describe most of the characters.
It's all very complicated and to be honest the plot is a bit of a monkey puzzle I have the feeling there might be a few holes in it - but the film is really about the struggle to climb out of the mire. Some make it, others don't; often those who succeed owe their success to chance, others who fail do so despite every effort. Cate Blanchett as Tracey is as good as she has ever been. You may think she is a little genteel for the role, but blot out your memories of "Elizabeth" and she is just fine. Hugo Weaving as Lionel gives a pretty well definitive portrait of a burnt-out heroin addict. Sam Neil as the ruthless Jockey is a little less suave than usual, though his clothes are tailor made and his car a Jaguar. Noni Hazelhurst is all heart as mother (Heart is her surname) and Dustin Nguyen as Johnny, despite the dodgy accent, gets away with playing a person about 10 years younger than he actually is. Martin Henderson is a wonderful dumb Ray.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the film is the up-close and personal photography (just about every scene looks like it was done with a hand-held camera) combined with some very imaginative fade-in and fade-out. The result is so atmospheric I almost felt the rain and smelled Hugo's lack of aftershave. More to the point, I felt the characters' moods. It was almost like being inside the movie. I very much liked the other recent Oz movie "Look Both Ways" which I saw two weeks ago. It also featured some innovative techniques, but this is a far more sophisticated piece of work.
Tracey is a former heroin addict, clean for the last four years but with a less than perfect credit record, who is trying to buy a share in the video shop she is working in so she can expand into the internet gaming business (hey, isn't that illegal in Australia?). Her friend Lionel, a former football star and ex-boyfriend of her mother's is still an addict. As she tries unsuccessfully to raise money from some almost comically reluctant financiers she become involved in looking after Lionel, who seems to have a rather close relationship with Jockey, a local hoodlum and drug dealer and his sidekick Steve. Her Vietnamese-Australian ex-boyfriend Johnny suddenly arrives on the scene after four years away and is soon involved in a drug deal with her one-legged (and rather stupid) brother Ray. The "Little Fish" of the title turn out to be those little plastic fish than come with soy sauce inside them in East Asian restaurants, recycled to contain amphetamines, but it could equally describe most of the characters.
It's all very complicated and to be honest the plot is a bit of a monkey puzzle I have the feeling there might be a few holes in it - but the film is really about the struggle to climb out of the mire. Some make it, others don't; often those who succeed owe their success to chance, others who fail do so despite every effort. Cate Blanchett as Tracey is as good as she has ever been. You may think she is a little genteel for the role, but blot out your memories of "Elizabeth" and she is just fine. Hugo Weaving as Lionel gives a pretty well definitive portrait of a burnt-out heroin addict. Sam Neil as the ruthless Jockey is a little less suave than usual, though his clothes are tailor made and his car a Jaguar. Noni Hazelhurst is all heart as mother (Heart is her surname) and Dustin Nguyen as Johnny, despite the dodgy accent, gets away with playing a person about 10 years younger than he actually is. Martin Henderson is a wonderful dumb Ray.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the film is the up-close and personal photography (just about every scene looks like it was done with a hand-held camera) combined with some very imaginative fade-in and fade-out. The result is so atmospheric I almost felt the rain and smelled Hugo's lack of aftershave. More to the point, I felt the characters' moods. It was almost like being inside the movie. I very much liked the other recent Oz movie "Look Both Ways" which I saw two weeks ago. It also featured some innovative techniques, but this is a far more sophisticated piece of work.
Interesting slice of life snapshot of reality . . .
charles00023 March 2019
I liked this film, very much, but I will also have to admit my bias. The sole reason I began watching was really because of Cate Blanchett, who I could watch in virtually anything, and not regret the time spent doing so.
Having said that, once I got started in this production, it did pull me in to see how the various subplots turned out, and of course, to find out what the fate of Cate's character (Tracy) would eventually become.
This is not a flashy film, nor are there super elevated tense moments punctuating the story, as is so common with many productions of this genre', but rather an evolving character study of Tracy's relationships and circumstances in her life, which come to light at various junctures like pieces of a puzzle assembling the whole picture.
There's much going on, with the present and past family dynamics which shape the circumstances Tracy finds herself in, and her ultimate choice of desperation to fulfill an otherwise unresolvable goal she is aiming at, and the consequences of where that choice is leading her.
Hers is a life of previous drug addiction, and other various troubles she got herself into, and the people around her who emerge from similar backgrounds, some now past that point, but others still submerged in that dark canyon.
It's a bit difficult to describe this story in any greater detail without accidentally opening up any spoilers, so I'll just have to leave my description as it is.
However, my suggestion would be that this is a film worth seeing . . . it might seem a bit slow at first, but as the different layers of intrigue and emergent back stories explaining the various character's current circumstances become apparent, you might find this as interesting as I did.
I was somewhat stuck between 6 and 7 stars, but will give benefit of a doubt here with 7 stars.
Having said that, once I got started in this production, it did pull me in to see how the various subplots turned out, and of course, to find out what the fate of Cate's character (Tracy) would eventually become.
This is not a flashy film, nor are there super elevated tense moments punctuating the story, as is so common with many productions of this genre', but rather an evolving character study of Tracy's relationships and circumstances in her life, which come to light at various junctures like pieces of a puzzle assembling the whole picture.
There's much going on, with the present and past family dynamics which shape the circumstances Tracy finds herself in, and her ultimate choice of desperation to fulfill an otherwise unresolvable goal she is aiming at, and the consequences of where that choice is leading her.
Hers is a life of previous drug addiction, and other various troubles she got herself into, and the people around her who emerge from similar backgrounds, some now past that point, but others still submerged in that dark canyon.
It's a bit difficult to describe this story in any greater detail without accidentally opening up any spoilers, so I'll just have to leave my description as it is.
However, my suggestion would be that this is a film worth seeing . . . it might seem a bit slow at first, but as the different layers of intrigue and emergent back stories explaining the various character's current circumstances become apparent, you might find this as interesting as I did.
I was somewhat stuck between 6 and 7 stars, but will give benefit of a doubt here with 7 stars.
well...
lunacremus20 December 2006
One of the users whose review I have just read wrote that he/she really wanted to like the movie... I had the same problem... Hugo Weaving whose amazing performance in V For Vendetta I saw just before,Cate Blanchett who is always worth watching and admiring, Sam Neill... And a trailer that intrigued me, promising an interesting story... Yes, yes, I know, I am naive... never judge a movie by a trailer... But I just couldn't help it... it reminded me of Me and You and Everyone we know, a movie that I really really liked... But, after watching Little fish, I felt nothing... Maybe a bit of confusion, because I wasn't sure what to think, after a movie that gives you nothing to think about... I felt empty, and sorry for the time I spent watching it... A movie with no story... I felt sorry for those great actors... They deserve better, cause they always give their best. So I have no objections to their job, brilliant as always... But that is definitely not enough to make me say this is a good movie...
Emotionally graphic, pictorially intense cinema
fertilecelluloid8 October 2005
Director Rowan Woods and his collaborators have crafted a totally absorbing urban drama about complex homosapiens whose lives have been compromised by drugs and various addictions.
Cate Blanchett is Tracy, the film's lynch-pin, a Western suburbs girl whose ambitions to get ahead are thwarted by financial and personal skeletons from her past.
Scribe Jacqueline Perske manipulates a tangled web of characters ranging from Sam Neil's retiring drug baron Brad to Hugo Weaving's failed yuppie junkie Lionel. Noni Hazlehurst, in a riveting performance, plays family matriarch Janelle, a woman so crippled by regret and betrayal, she can hardly stand upright.
The tone is a few degrees lighter than Woods' brilliant "The Boys" and the Cabramatta milieu is broader, but this is still a beautifully balanced character piece with top notch performances and a restrained third act that avoids the usual clichés.
Supporting turns by Susie Porter (as Jenny) and Joel Tobeck (as Moss) are exceptional.
Though some climactic clarity might have been helpful, this is, nevertheless, emotionally graphic and pictorially intense cinema.
Cate Blanchett is Tracy, the film's lynch-pin, a Western suburbs girl whose ambitions to get ahead are thwarted by financial and personal skeletons from her past.
Scribe Jacqueline Perske manipulates a tangled web of characters ranging from Sam Neil's retiring drug baron Brad to Hugo Weaving's failed yuppie junkie Lionel. Noni Hazlehurst, in a riveting performance, plays family matriarch Janelle, a woman so crippled by regret and betrayal, she can hardly stand upright.
The tone is a few degrees lighter than Woods' brilliant "The Boys" and the Cabramatta milieu is broader, but this is still a beautifully balanced character piece with top notch performances and a restrained third act that avoids the usual clichés.
Supporting turns by Susie Porter (as Jenny) and Joel Tobeck (as Moss) are exceptional.
Though some climactic clarity might have been helpful, this is, nevertheless, emotionally graphic and pictorially intense cinema.
The Identity Thief
urnotdb12 November 2006
Maybe identity theft affirms the irrelevance of who you think you are. All the world's a stage, and everyone is typecast. Apparently even someone with the reputed "range" of Cate Blanchett can't attract an audience by playing against (stereo)type, forced to measure up to acclaimed "classical" roles, like "An Ideal Husband" or "Elizabeth." Could even Brando "open" a movie? The characters in the film are stereotyped, as "risky." Even a great actress wouldn't be able to convince a loan officer to overlook a bad credit rating (even if only due to real identity theft), notwithstanding her ability to pretend to be someone else who can't pretend to be someone else. Is acting the last refuge of the identity thief? The film itself defied stereotyping, the ending revealing another genre, both good. The characters strive to rise above hard times. I wouldn't be surprised if compassion and despair could still coexist, like the Bible says, and here it still is news. Outstanding Neill.
sardines
pookey566 October 2006
i really really wanted to like this film. i sought it out in no small part because of the wonderful Cate Blanchett, the enigmatic Hugo Weaving, and the usually amicable Sam Neill. I also admit to mostly loving Australian films; there have been so many good ones. I had to watch this film twice.here were liars, losers, drug addicts, oddly irrelevant dialogue, and lots and lots of boredom. In fairness, i was especially happy to see Hugo's work as a human being. And Cate can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned. And Mr. Neill? He looks to me like he's on medication(s), and i found him less recognizable than Hugo. His bloated appearance doesn't look like the result of over-eating to me. I often watch films more than once, but i don't enjoy re-watching one because i want to make sure i didn't miss something, or because perhaps i didn't "get it" the first time, and then finding that neither was the case. this isn't the worst film i've ever seen, but it was one of the most boring. And no, i'm not one to need car chases, gun play, lots of sex, nor non-stop action to be interested in a movie. But a screenplay helps. I didn't notice one in Little Fish. Little fish are often prey to bigger ones, but in this case, these little fish are so non descript, the bigger ones would probably swim right by them.....
A confusing bore
Gordon-1110 July 2007
This film is about a woman who tries to get her life back on track after 4 years of heroin addiction.
I find the plot confusing, and the story poorly told. It is a drama, but lacks the drama. The pace of the story is very slow. Even after 90 minutes of the film, the only message I really perceive from the film is that Cate Blanchett's character is unable to get a loan despite repeated attempts. I am particularly annoyed by the excessive use of glares and halos around bright lights. It is not even a nice visual effect to start with anyway. Despite the stellar cast, I find this film unable to deliver what it could have been. I would not recommend it.
I find the plot confusing, and the story poorly told. It is a drama, but lacks the drama. The pace of the story is very slow. Even after 90 minutes of the film, the only message I really perceive from the film is that Cate Blanchett's character is unable to get a loan despite repeated attempts. I am particularly annoyed by the excessive use of glares and halos around bright lights. It is not even a nice visual effect to start with anyway. Despite the stellar cast, I find this film unable to deliver what it could have been. I would not recommend it.
OK, but no Ben Hur
littleginger10 November 2005
I liked this film. It was nice. I think that Noni Hazelhurst was the knock out performance. Absolutely spot on as the suburban single mum.
Unfortunately, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Martin Henderson were not so good. The most irritating thing about this film was the accent/dialect. These three were meant to be average suburbanite (west, southwest Sydney) junkie/exjunkie unemployed types. They talked like middle class professionals. I think that it is unforgivable for an actress of Cate's stature to get it so wrong. And of these three, she was the worst offender.
The dialect of 'lower' class southwest Sydneysiders is quite distinctive, both in its sound and vocabulary. For someone who grew up in the area, and has been around these people for most of their life, it was too distracting.
There is so much potential in this underground world which was not explored. How did she become hooked? Where are the street dealers, the other junkies? It did however deal with the problems of coming off junk quite well.
The ending felt a bit too neat. Far neater than real life.
But it was a good story with a beginning, an end and a middle. One of the better Australian films of recent years.
I highly recommend it to those looking to broaden their horizons, who are sick of the east coast west coast American middle class white 'beige' films that dominate todays theatres.
Two and a half thumbs
Unfortunately, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Martin Henderson were not so good. The most irritating thing about this film was the accent/dialect. These three were meant to be average suburbanite (west, southwest Sydney) junkie/exjunkie unemployed types. They talked like middle class professionals. I think that it is unforgivable for an actress of Cate's stature to get it so wrong. And of these three, she was the worst offender.
The dialect of 'lower' class southwest Sydneysiders is quite distinctive, both in its sound and vocabulary. For someone who grew up in the area, and has been around these people for most of their life, it was too distracting.
There is so much potential in this underground world which was not explored. How did she become hooked? Where are the street dealers, the other junkies? It did however deal with the problems of coming off junk quite well.
The ending felt a bit too neat. Far neater than real life.
But it was a good story with a beginning, an end and a middle. One of the better Australian films of recent years.
I highly recommend it to those looking to broaden their horizons, who are sick of the east coast west coast American middle class white 'beige' films that dominate todays theatres.
Two and a half thumbs
hopeless families
bekteke10 June 2007
You can see how Australian families and their typical life. They can't be happy all the time.Sometimes ex-boyfriends,sometimes relatives who use or sell drugs come and ruin everything.their marriage never keep going good but they make friendship lots of people and they have lots of lovers.Beside the whole bed life sometimes one girl listens music and remember past that remind her happy days.when the music ands hopeless life continuous...I cant say that they will be happy when they get some money for her business because every time bad things can be occur due to these people's life without spirit.However they remind life soul when one of them die or they lost everything.
A glazed depiction of resurrection
francescabalzani-261835 March 2024
This 2005 Australian art film tells the story of a former heroin addicted woman's search for resurrection.
Tracy Heart has survived the turmoil of drug addiction and she is trying to start from scratch, becoming the owner of a video store. When her ex boyfriend Jonny turns up again after years, she has to fight fiercely to save herself, her brother and her lover from the danger of drugs.
I enjoyed the glazed colours of the film, as if everything was the manifestation of dreams. Most of all I loved Cate Blanchett, a chamaleontic goddess capable of deep transformations.
The rest of the film left me with a sense of perplexity... it might have been the characters or the slow actions or the lack of strong emotions I felt. Not clear, but something did not click properly.
Tracy Heart has survived the turmoil of drug addiction and she is trying to start from scratch, becoming the owner of a video store. When her ex boyfriend Jonny turns up again after years, she has to fight fiercely to save herself, her brother and her lover from the danger of drugs.
I enjoyed the glazed colours of the film, as if everything was the manifestation of dreams. Most of all I loved Cate Blanchett, a chamaleontic goddess capable of deep transformations.
The rest of the film left me with a sense of perplexity... it might have been the characters or the slow actions or the lack of strong emotions I felt. Not clear, but something did not click properly.
Overrated (by Australian media)
mrbrown664 June 2006
I was very disappointed by this film. Having read countless positive 4 star reviews for this film I was really looking forward to seeing it. Having watched it recently I have to say that the whole plot was very dull and didn't offer any new plot ideas, direction styles, or anything original in the slightest. If you want to see a proper film about dysfunctional heroin addicts watch Trainspotting ! Having all our great Australian actors coming back to make an Australian film does not automatically make a good film, and in this case it certainly hasn't.
Performances by Hugo and Cate while good, did not make up for a generally average, unoriginal script and storyline.
Performances by Hugo and Cate while good, did not make up for a generally average, unoriginal script and storyline.
great Australian drama
nobbytatoes9 October 2005
Tracy is an ex-heroin junkie how has cleaned up and wants to start a new life in her new store' but she cant finance her new endeavor. Her brother Ray is a speed dealer looking for his big deal, his friend Jonny is an ex-deal who is now a stock-broker. Lionel is looking to go straight, giving up heroin. Tracy's mother Janelle was friends with Lionel but broke off when he gave Tracy Herion. Lionel is also infatuated with Brad, his dealer.
This is a very strong drama, and its been awhile since Australia has made a good drama. The story is a great look at family, friendship, the pain of change and rejection. Jacqueline Perske script is very deep and multi-layered. There are many sub-plots that keep you constantly thinking. Rowan Wood's direction is a step up from his last feature 'The Boys', being more experimental and more unconventional. The cinematography is wonderful, the use of many washes raise the mood and tension to higher levels, tightening the atmosphere of depression.
This has a stellar cast; Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Noni Hazlehurst, Sam Neill, Lisa McCune, Martin Henderson and Dustin Nguyen all give strong performances, not a single flaw in the acting. Blanchett and Weaving give great career performances, Weaving is just brilliant. Hazlehurst brings a performance so shockingly different, this is not the Nomi you know from 'Play School'.
The only thing i felt was wrong with Little Fish is its just abit to long. If it was cut down by ten minutes or so, it would have the pacing more faster and get to the point a lot quicker.
This is a spring board of better things to come out of Australia.
This is a very strong drama, and its been awhile since Australia has made a good drama. The story is a great look at family, friendship, the pain of change and rejection. Jacqueline Perske script is very deep and multi-layered. There are many sub-plots that keep you constantly thinking. Rowan Wood's direction is a step up from his last feature 'The Boys', being more experimental and more unconventional. The cinematography is wonderful, the use of many washes raise the mood and tension to higher levels, tightening the atmosphere of depression.
This has a stellar cast; Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Noni Hazlehurst, Sam Neill, Lisa McCune, Martin Henderson and Dustin Nguyen all give strong performances, not a single flaw in the acting. Blanchett and Weaving give great career performances, Weaving is just brilliant. Hazlehurst brings a performance so shockingly different, this is not the Nomi you know from 'Play School'.
The only thing i felt was wrong with Little Fish is its just abit to long. If it was cut down by ten minutes or so, it would have the pacing more faster and get to the point a lot quicker.
This is a spring board of better things to come out of Australia.
flawed but riveting
damonisho23 August 2008
This film is full of beautiful atmospheric shots that keep it visually engaging. The acting is fine all round: Cate Blanchett is, as always, stellar, but the supporting cast is very strong and appealing. The intensity of the love between Cate B's 'Tracy' and Dustin Nguyen's 'Johnny' is riveting: you cannot look away when these 2 characters are working through their respective past hurts. Hugo Weaving's 'Lionel' portrays a convincingly wrenching vision of heroin withdrawal. The music and the pacing create a nearly unbearable tension.
But, the narrative is full of holes. As a story, the left-out gaps can be filled in by later reflection, but it's a fairly straightforward tale, with no need for confusion had the right parts been left in and others lopped out. A long film, great acting, superb atmosphere, and some good dialogue, but a sketchy narrative.
I'd recommend it anyway.
But, the narrative is full of holes. As a story, the left-out gaps can be filled in by later reflection, but it's a fairly straightforward tale, with no need for confusion had the right parts been left in and others lopped out. A long film, great acting, superb atmosphere, and some good dialogue, but a sketchy narrative.
I'd recommend it anyway.
One movie I couldn't wait to see..... the end of!!
aussieukangel9 April 2007
I gave this movie 4 out of 10...and it only got that because it is an Australian film and I am very patriotic. OI OI OI!
This movie should have been released with a warning.... will cause drowsiness!!! What can I say about the plot?? Well to begin with, it didn't have much of one. The beginning is much the same as the ending....the story doesn't go anywhere and it doesn't go anywhere extremely slowly. That hour and a half felt like a week. This story could have been expanded, more could have been done with the characters. Instead, the characters were left to wallow, no growth or purpose at all. And by the time I was halfway through, I was praying for a door to door salesman to ring my doorbell to get away from it. I even started daydreaming about the housework I could have been doing instead of wasting time watching this movie. I admit to watching it right through to the end, only because I had hoped to see some kind of improvement in characters and script...and was not surprised to see nothing!
Actors were mediocre and not very creditable. But with the script they were given, with no chance of making the characters come to life, I do not blame them. I just feel it was a waste of time and film. No redeeming qualities or anything nice I can comment on here.
Now I know this is only my opinion and that others have commented on this movie favourably. All I can say is that I expect a movie to have characters, plot and to actually be entertaining. I must have higher standards in my movie choices and I only watched this one because of the reviews I read here on IMDb.
If you are looking for an afternoon snooze movie,then this is the one you want.If you want to watch a movie and actually be entertained, then choose another movie.
This movie should have been released with a warning.... will cause drowsiness!!! What can I say about the plot?? Well to begin with, it didn't have much of one. The beginning is much the same as the ending....the story doesn't go anywhere and it doesn't go anywhere extremely slowly. That hour and a half felt like a week. This story could have been expanded, more could have been done with the characters. Instead, the characters were left to wallow, no growth or purpose at all. And by the time I was halfway through, I was praying for a door to door salesman to ring my doorbell to get away from it. I even started daydreaming about the housework I could have been doing instead of wasting time watching this movie. I admit to watching it right through to the end, only because I had hoped to see some kind of improvement in characters and script...and was not surprised to see nothing!
Actors were mediocre and not very creditable. But with the script they were given, with no chance of making the characters come to life, I do not blame them. I just feel it was a waste of time and film. No redeeming qualities or anything nice I can comment on here.
Now I know this is only my opinion and that others have commented on this movie favourably. All I can say is that I expect a movie to have characters, plot and to actually be entertaining. I must have higher standards in my movie choices and I only watched this one because of the reviews I read here on IMDb.
If you are looking for an afternoon snooze movie,then this is the one you want.If you want to watch a movie and actually be entertained, then choose another movie.
Another Superb Film From Australia
gradyharp14 April 2006
Writer Jacqueline Perske and Director Rowan Woods chalk up another successful Australian film in LITTLE FISH, an intense, very personal drama about how illegal drugs affect communities, families and individuals. The story begs patience from the viewer as it is gratefully one that does not spell everything out for the viewer, but instead introduces the characters slowly and with hints of backgrounds that bring them to the moments of crisis the time-frame of the film uses.
Taking place in the Little Saigon area of Sydney, Tracy Heart (Cate Blanchett) is a recovered junkie who lives with her mother Janelle (Noni Hazlehurst) and partial amputee brother Ray (Martin Henderson), each trying to make ends meet in a life previously destroyed by drug addiction. Tracy has been clean for four years, works in a video store but has dreams of owning her own business, dreams that are thwarted by banks refusing to give her business loans solely on the basis of her previous addiction. Ray, his amputated leg the result of a car accident somehow connected with drugs, still sells heroin in 'little fish' containers, occasionally calling upon Tracy to make pickups and deliveries. The now absent stepfather Lionel (Hugo Weaving) fights his own addiction both to drugs and to his dealer Brad (Sam Neill) with whom he has been in a gay relationship since his divorce from Janelle. Tracy tries to support Lionel's attempts to kick his habit, but the attempts are failures. Everything comes to a head when 1) Tracy is desperate without her needed bank loan, 2) Tracy's Vietnamese ex-lover Jonny (Dustin Nguyen) returns from Vancouver where his family sent him to avoid the persecution of rehab in Sydney, 3) Brad retires leaving Lionel without a source of drugs or love and Lionel is replaced by a quasi-normal Steven (Joel Tobeck) who kicks the last part of the film into a spin. There are no solutions to anyone's problems: things just happen and the characters respond in the best way they can with the ominous cloud of drug addiction shading their lives and futures.
The script is terse and smart and the direction is relentlessly realistic and well paced. Cate Blanchett gives a sterling portrayal of the very complex Tracy, and Hugo Weaving, Noni Hazelhurst, Sam Neill, Dustin Nguyen, and Martin Henderson are superb. This is a tough little film that does not fear to examine the truth about the effect of drugs on people's lives and spirits. It is a very fine film. Recommended. Grady Harp
Taking place in the Little Saigon area of Sydney, Tracy Heart (Cate Blanchett) is a recovered junkie who lives with her mother Janelle (Noni Hazlehurst) and partial amputee brother Ray (Martin Henderson), each trying to make ends meet in a life previously destroyed by drug addiction. Tracy has been clean for four years, works in a video store but has dreams of owning her own business, dreams that are thwarted by banks refusing to give her business loans solely on the basis of her previous addiction. Ray, his amputated leg the result of a car accident somehow connected with drugs, still sells heroin in 'little fish' containers, occasionally calling upon Tracy to make pickups and deliveries. The now absent stepfather Lionel (Hugo Weaving) fights his own addiction both to drugs and to his dealer Brad (Sam Neill) with whom he has been in a gay relationship since his divorce from Janelle. Tracy tries to support Lionel's attempts to kick his habit, but the attempts are failures. Everything comes to a head when 1) Tracy is desperate without her needed bank loan, 2) Tracy's Vietnamese ex-lover Jonny (Dustin Nguyen) returns from Vancouver where his family sent him to avoid the persecution of rehab in Sydney, 3) Brad retires leaving Lionel without a source of drugs or love and Lionel is replaced by a quasi-normal Steven (Joel Tobeck) who kicks the last part of the film into a spin. There are no solutions to anyone's problems: things just happen and the characters respond in the best way they can with the ominous cloud of drug addiction shading their lives and futures.
The script is terse and smart and the direction is relentlessly realistic and well paced. Cate Blanchett gives a sterling portrayal of the very complex Tracy, and Hugo Weaving, Noni Hazelhurst, Sam Neill, Dustin Nguyen, and Martin Henderson are superb. This is a tough little film that does not fear to examine the truth about the effect of drugs on people's lives and spirits. It is a very fine film. Recommended. Grady Harp
Really Good but Not Profound
Dragonborn6415 February 2019
crap about a bunch of losers
brianoh230 January 2008
Crap about a bunch of losers. Depressing, uninteresting, and boring.
Set in Sydney, Australia.
It beats me why Sam Neill and Cate Blanchet would participate in such dribble.
Cate's boyfriend, another junkie, returns from Canada to work as a stockbroker.
Her brother, another junkie, was injured badly in a car accident. It appears that the car was driven by the boyfriend.
Nothing interesting or original or entertaining.
In addition, it appears that Cate was a former junkie and who appears to be her old man wants help getting drugs because he also is badly hooked.
Just crap and more crap.
Good actors don't make a bad screenplay a good movie.
Set in Sydney, Australia.
It beats me why Sam Neill and Cate Blanchet would participate in such dribble.
Cate's boyfriend, another junkie, returns from Canada to work as a stockbroker.
Her brother, another junkie, was injured badly in a car accident. It appears that the car was driven by the boyfriend.
Nothing interesting or original or entertaining.
In addition, it appears that Cate was a former junkie and who appears to be her old man wants help getting drugs because he also is badly hooked.
Just crap and more crap.
Good actors don't make a bad screenplay a good movie.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
