Mother Fish
Encyclopedia
Mother Fish, also known as Missing Water, is a feature film written, produced and directed by Khoa Do
. The film draws largely from Khoa Do's own experiences as a Vietnamese refugee, and reflects on the perceived fear in the general population generated by 'boat people
' which is prevalent in Australian politics and discourse.
Through the setting of the sweatshop, the woman remembers the journey. The boat is unprepared for the ocean crossing, as are they. Food and water supplies are low, their engine breaks, and the threat of rape and death at the hands of South-sea pirates is real. Through the woman's memory the audience relives the experience of crossing the ocean in search of a better life.
and produced by Powerhouse Youth Theatre. The play drew from Khoa Do's own experience arriving by boat to Australia in the 1980's, when he was two years old.
Do has stated that the development of the film was highly personal, and it's intention was for the audience to empathise with the plight of boat people
. The film communicates this message by ending with the statistic that between 1975 and 1996 over 1,500,000 people fled Vietnam. Of those, only 900,000 made land meaning that 600,000 were lost at sea. Of the survivors, approximately 137,000 came to Australia.
's Dogville
, by setting all the action entirely within the sweatshop.
Do chose to work with first-time actors who had all either been refugees or descendants of refugees. Hieu Phan, who plays the woman's Uncle, was a refugee who made the crossing 30 years ago, and has spoken of weeping in rehearsals as the memory of his own boat journey came back to him. While shooting, the cast were kept on a strict monitored diet to lose weight in a similar manner to refugees who had made the crossing.
On the 19 April 2010, Mother Fish had it's theatrical premiere at Riverside Theatres Parramatta, coinciding with the 35th annversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia. The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services paid tribute to the premiere.
Mother Fish received largely positive reviews. It scored four stars from Margaret Pomeranz
and three and a half stars from David Stratton
on the program At the Movies
.
Reviewers generally debated Khao Do's daring approach of creating the boat trip out of the space of the sweatshop, however performances were generally critically praised for their 'honesty', usually driven by the actors own backgrounds.
Mother Fish also won the DigiSPAA Award for best film shot digitally in 2010 and the Spotlight Award at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Khoa Do
Khoa Do , born 1979, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a film director, screenwriter, professional speaker and philanthropist who received the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2005. The Do family arrived in Sydney as Vietnamese refugees in 1980. His brother is the comedian Anh Do...
. The film draws largely from Khoa Do's own experiences as a Vietnamese refugee, and reflects on the perceived fear in the general population generated by 'boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
' which is prevalent in Australian politics and discourse.
Plot
Mother Fish follows the story of a middle-aged Vietnamese woman (Hyen Nguyen) working in a suburban sweatshop. In the evening when the workers have left, she is transported back to the night she and her sister (Sheena Pham) fled her homeland, led by an uncle promising to reunite them with their father.Through the setting of the sweatshop, the woman remembers the journey. The boat is unprepared for the ocean crossing, as are they. Food and water supplies are low, their engine breaks, and the threat of rape and death at the hands of South-sea pirates is real. Through the woman's memory the audience relives the experience of crossing the ocean in search of a better life.
Development
Mother Fish was an original play written by Khoa DoKhoa Do
Khoa Do , born 1979, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a film director, screenwriter, professional speaker and philanthropist who received the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2005. The Do family arrived in Sydney as Vietnamese refugees in 1980. His brother is the comedian Anh Do...
and produced by Powerhouse Youth Theatre. The play drew from Khoa Do's own experience arriving by boat to Australia in the 1980's, when he was two years old.
Do has stated that the development of the film was highly personal, and it's intention was for the audience to empathise with the plight of boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
. The film communicates this message by ending with the statistic that between 1975 and 1996 over 1,500,000 people fled Vietnam. Of those, only 900,000 made land meaning that 600,000 were lost at sea. Of the survivors, approximately 137,000 came to Australia.
Production
A defining feature of Mother Fish is that it was shot in a similar style to Lars von TrierLars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
's Dogville
Dogville
Dogville is a 2003 drama written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Chloë Sevigny, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, and James Caan...
, by setting all the action entirely within the sweatshop.
Do chose to work with first-time actors who had all either been refugees or descendants of refugees. Hieu Phan, who plays the woman's Uncle, was a refugee who made the crossing 30 years ago, and has spoken of weeping in rehearsals as the memory of his own boat journey came back to him. While shooting, the cast were kept on a strict monitored diet to lose weight in a similar manner to refugees who had made the crossing.
Reception
Mother Fish held its world premiere at the 2009 Sydney Film Festival where it was also in Official Competition. At the festival it won the 2009 Community Relations Commission Award, which acknowledges on screen work promoting linguistic and cultural diversity.On the 19 April 2010, Mother Fish had it's theatrical premiere at Riverside Theatres Parramatta, coinciding with the 35th annversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia. The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services paid tribute to the premiere.
Mother Fish received largely positive reviews. It scored four stars from Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...
and three and a half stars from David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
on the program At the Movies
At the Movies
At the Movies is an Australian television program on ABC1 hosted by film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, in which they discuss the films opening in theatres that week.-History:...
.
Reviewers generally debated Khao Do's daring approach of creating the boat trip out of the space of the sweatshop, however performances were generally critically praised for their 'honesty', usually driven by the actors own backgrounds.
Mother Fish also won the DigiSPAA Award for best film shot digitally in 2010 and the Spotlight Award at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Los Angeles.