The Amazing Catfish

Overview

The Amazing Catfish is a story about finding unity in a family falling apart.

Claudia is a lonely 20-something who lives in a dingy garage somewhere in Guadalajara and works in a supermarket selling sausages and hair remover. Winding up in hospital struck down with appendicitis, and apparently friendless and family-less, Claudia befriends fellow patient, Martha, over a packet of potato chips. Martha is the solo mother of four eccentric children from three different fathers—three girls and one boy—and she is dying of AIDS.

The distant Claudia is drawn to the warmth of Martha’s family and, after being offered a ride home, finds herself drawn into their chaotic world. At first a silent observer to whom the kids seem utterly oblivious, Claudia gradually becomes a pillar of the family. While Martha visits the hospital daily for chemotherapy, Claudia walks the young Armando to school and answers his questions about growing up (“what is kissing like?”). She helps second-eldest Wendy around the house, and consoles the eldest, Ale, who is struggling to straddle the unwanted responsibilities of maturity with a desire for independence. It is a film about growing up and moving on.

The premise is hardly the freshest, but the film never does feel stale. First time Mexican director Claudia Saint-Luce pushes the mostly young cast to strong performances. Each has its quirks—there is the cheeky young Armando, the image conscious Mariana, the depressed Wendy, and the stern eldest Ale. The character archetypes are a little routine, but none of their quirks seem laboured. Gorgeously shot and edited so as to never over-explain, Saint-Luce keeps things from dawdling.

Lisa Owen gives the strongest performance as the ageing matriarch Martha. The dynamic between her and Claudia is the highlight of the film. The most positive of the family despite her predicament, Martha's presence is subtle in subverting our expectations about what motherhood and family should look like on screen.

While the characters are portrayed poignantly, we never really get to know any of them. Saint-Luce shows us their edges and sporadically reveals them to contain dimensions not visible at first, but most of these are not explored beyond a single exchange. By the time the film ends, Claudia, our protagonist, whose air of lonely mystery hooked our attention at the start, is only slightly less mysterious.

Though lacking depth, The Amazing Catfish is warm and poignant. It is well worth the time of those keen on international cinema.