La Vida de los Peces

The Director of this film, Matías Bize, started out early his career. His movies have grown a lot since his first attempts, and if we compare his first big hit (in Chile) "en la cama", we can really observe an abysmal difference with "la vida de los peces". While the first movie has the same elements, meaning a small confined space with two main characters mainly talking to each other during the whole movie, it's only in "la vida de los peces" that we can have a real insight in the characters, they actually feel alive and throughout the movie we start to evolve feelings for them. My opinion is that the script is much better than his other attempts, for this time situations happen in a way we don't expect them. I'm usually not fond of this type of films, but this time I had a great surprise. I think, the Director is finally starting to master his style.

I had never seen a Chilean film before the 'Life of Fish' was screened during a Spanish language film festival here in Perth, Western Australia.

I do not understand how MdIndeHond could find this film boring, I was mesmerised by its slow pace, the use of silence (there was almost no soundtrack), the constraint of filming the entire action within the confines of a house, the believable characters and dialogue and the utterly compelling acting.

'Life of Fish' may appeal more to older viewers than 20-somethings. I certainly am aware of missed opportunities in my own life and could relate to Andres dilemma.

If 'Life of Fish' is typical of the quality of Chilean film making then I shall certainly make an effort to see any other Chilean films that happen to reach 'the most isolated major city in the world'.

a trip in middle of a world. ordinary pieces of a party. a kind of Ulises. a kind of Itaca. only Penelope is different. because the object of introspection is the possibility of past to be another future. dialogs, silence, gestures, each - level of a smoke ladder. pieces of a broken vase. or only, old seeds on the empty land. a film like a mirror. or only shadow of possibilities as drawing lines. because the return, meetings, courtesy are only cages for dead birds.slices of fiction in heart of expectations. illusions. all is an aquarium. a large aquarium. in a house, for a stranger, like self lie as only way to accept the past. a beautiful film. like a memento mori.

I came to movie for curiosity and because I've heard from someone, so I came home with the movie and push the play button when I was totally comfortable to see it...so I began to hold my breath, because the movie start with no advice, and If you don't really pay attention to the dialog's you will miss a lot of the movie, because the characters say things that are so intrusive that maybe you feel like someone is questioning you, or you been played at that moment of the character dialogs. I decide to pause a little the movie I was overwhelmed for by the characters and the way they relate to each other, I was getting to much involved in the movie, so when I looked to the played time I noticed 40 minutes have passed, and I was feeling like just no more than 15 minutes have played.

Is a great movie to show you that no astonishing sceneries needed to make a good film, everything happen in the same house here and there over the place. The director do a good job on subjectives cameras, and shots where we have a shirt stories just for what he shows.

You'll have a lot of emotions with this film, Is a romantic film thats worth seeing.

The Life of Fish is a very accomplished little movie from Chile. Andres, a travel guide who is frequently traveling the world has a brief stop in Chile where he attends a friend's birthday party. In addition to seeing old friends, he meets an old flame in the party. They used to be in love once but now she is a divorced mum with two kids. This reunion leads them to re-examine their relationship and why they never married each other. Will she take the plunge and leave her kids with their father and join Andres on his travels? Life of Fish is played in real time and at the end you feel as though you've spent a very worthwhile 83 minutes. It is sensitively directed and beautifully acted. The soundtrack is also terrific. It is, in many ways, reminiscent of Richard Linklater's Before Sunset.