Luzzu

This was a well acted and beautifully shot film. The story is a slow burn about a man who came from a long line of fisherman in a changing economy where his trade is quickly dying off. The protagonist is faced with many existential questions about his life, how to provide for his family, fairness, and ultimately his role in a changing world. While the film can come off as very slow, I felt the ending really made the story feel quite important.

"Luzzu" is a sensitive film, full of allegory, and a stupendous and extraordinary performance by Jesmark Scicluna as Jesmark, a many-generation Maltese fisherman who struggles to choose between his passion for the sea and his family in the land. The director manages to draw so much reality and emotions from both Jesmark Scicluna and Filip Sertic that their passion for fishing is very clear. The film is spectacular in showing the simplicity of fishermen against the underground fishing black market, the contradictions between tradition or falling into the unfair capitalist world, going after their dreams ("...a fish stays in a bowl never grows...' or family stability.

As one reviewer stated so well: "It's that kind of movies that say so much by saying almost nothing.".

As one reviewer stated so well: "It's that kind of movies that say so much by saying almost nothing.".

I also want to point out that the plot of this movie serves much to the current big film industry: How is it possible that a movie like this or the performance of the ensemble cast is ignored by the major award competitions????? Yeah!!!! Small and beautifully fish fighting against big sharks.

LUZZU 2021 (BBCIPlayer) This is the first film I've ever seen (to my knowledge) filmed in and made on Malta.

In an interesting twist on EU fishing quotas. Coming from Kingston upon Hull, home of the largest fishing industry in the 1960s, long since decimated by restrictions and quotas by the EU

In this film Jesmark, a fisherman like his father before him, is struggling with lack of fish and too many restriction. The tag line is "A man risks everything to provide for his wife and newborn son by entering Malta's black-market fishing industry"

Fighting his guilt of having to change his ancestry we have a dilemma, whilst the expectations of his wife and her aspirational family put strain on their relationship and his friendships with other fisherman.

Does he decommission his boat and take EU compensation like so many others.

Overall its a good film, the story is slight, but the setting and its origins make it a worthy 6/10.

Old wine in new jugs. With the advent of globalization and modernization, many ancient ways of life have been forced to die out, sadly but inexorably. The author leaves behind a possible answer: if these relics are the same "Ship of Theseus", then they can be eternal.

A man attempts to keep up the family tradition of fishing with a small wooden boat. Malta makes a stunning setting for the story. The EU has made it almost impossible for the small time fishermen to make a living. The underground economy is a dark and sad commentary on globalization. The cast is excellent and Luzzu is one of the best films of the year.