Un sogno in fondo al mare

Dream With The Fishes accomplishes what so many small independent films fail to do: it adheres to the reliable simplicity of storyline and character without getting bogged down in gimmickry or its own cleverness.

The casting and performances are perfect - it's a shame that David Arquette has disappeared into his wife's shadow - his performance as self-loathing/suicidal Terry is the perfect foil for Brad Hunt's desperate and free-spirited Nick. Both actors are brilliant in this film yet they've both remained relatively obscure in the years since it's release.

Perhaps Finn Taylor's direction has a lot to do with it. Aside from the performances he wrangles from his actors, Dream With The Fishes is also beautifully filmed, from the shots and camera angles to the lighting and even film stock he chooses for different moments to highlight shifts in character and story.

Add to this a haunting soundtrack (which I can thank for my introduction to Nick Drake) and you have a charming, heart-breaking, inspiring ride that serves both as an entertaining couple of hours viewing and a fine example for aspiring filmmakers.

Terry (David Arquette) is a very sad, lonely man who spends his days watching other people live their lives rather than trying to make one of his own. Rather than do this, he decides that the best thing to do is to commit suicide by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge.

In what he thinks are the final few moments of his life along comes a very confident man, Nick (Brad Hunt), who notices that Terry can't seem to find the nerve to actually go through with it, and persuades him that this kind of suicide would actually be quite painfull, and might not even work, and suggests that he overdose on pills. Nick makes an offer of a jar of sleeping pills that he has at his apartment, in exchange for Terry's watch.

Once the pills have been downed, Terry suddenly has a drastic change of heart and makes Nick take him to the hospital where it is revealed that they were actually vitamins.

Angry, Terry wants to confront Nick to get his watch back and finally tracks him down at the hospital where he finds out that Nick only has a short while to live himself.

The next day, Nick leaves the hospital with a proposal for Terry. If he will help Nick to live out all of his life long fantasies in the few weeks before he dies, Nick will pay him back by killing him.

Determined to go out with a bang, Nick takes Terry on an adventure and teaches him how to live his life to the fullest, including robbing a bank with an unloaded gun and nude bowling with prostitutes (whatever turns you on Nick!!)

It may seem that Nick is doing this all for him, but this film is about not taking life for granted and he is trying to open up a new world for Terry, one where he wouldn't want to die. This is what makes this a fantastic movie with many highs and lows. Mainly, a great story of love, friendship and adventure.

Surprisingly, this was a great movie. I didn't think I'd like it, but I loved it. It has its weird moments, but generally, it was good. Brad Hunt as Nick was incredible (not to mention hot!). Who the hell is Brad Hunt? I've never even heard of him until now. This movie makes me want to check out his other movies. He's a great actor. David Arquette was great as usual. Nick (Brad Hunt) and Terry (David Arquette) make such a unique friendship. That's what draws me to this movie. Their friendship is really cool. They turn into best friends. That was great. There are many unexpecting things that happen. I don't wanna ruin the end, but lets just say its a tearjerker. Definitely worth watching.

It's a strange little movie, continually shifting focus, at the end perhaps not amounting to much more than a whimsical playing with odd offbeat lives, but generally quite appealing: some of the ideas - like that of a general malaise trying to elevate itself by identification with a specific loss - are particularly intriguing. The evocative title sums up the generally lilting approach toward dreams and fantasies and self-definitions, although the movie as a whole is in many ways oriented more towards grunginess and weirdness, almost verging on exploitation at times. A major reservation must attach to the marginality of the women - Erbe has some very striking moments, but her agenda and feelings aren't explored much. On the whole, not distinctive enough to stick around particularly in one's memory.

....Which really isn't saying much, I suppose. But in this film, he actually ACTS, instead of his usual mugging. The premise of this movie intrigued me--a suicidal guy makes a strange pact with a terminally ill guy--and the first half is bizarre and wonderful. In the end, it got to be a bit drawn-out, and the marriage by the bedside was a little too contrived for my taste. But I wondered what happened to Cathy Moriarty and the girl from Rich in Love (the one with the black hair); they must be pretty picky as they don't get many roles. This film was unique enough to hold my attention and those who liked Buffalo 66 will probably eat it up. Another strange performance from character actor J.E. Freeman to boot.