Corpse Fishing (2024)

-Written by Michelle Vorob.

2024 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! 

Corpse Fishing is a short film by Jean Liu, which takes place in the aftermath of flooding in central China. Yan (Harmonie He) is a girl looking for her missing father. She crosses paths with Old Bo (Jizhong Zhang), a weathered fisherman who is making money now by fishing corpses out of the water and stopping at different ports, in order to sell the remains to bereaved relatives. 

At first, Old Bo is hesitant to help Yan unless she pays him, but he comes to understand quickly that she has no money and no other family besides her missing father. It softens him to her and he says she can pay him by spending time together as they search for bodies. I can't say that Corpse Fishing is a typical slice-of-life film, but it is definitely a story that fits this criteria. We simply jump into a point in these people's lives and follow it for a while. It isn't about the destination, it's about the journey.

The heart of this film is the relationship that blossoms between Yan and Old Bo. To me, it felt very much like a father-daughter relationship that was forming. Old Bo tried to shield Yan from the worst of what the boat was carrying, while teaching her as they went along. Yan got Old Bo to open up a bit, soften a little, the way that interacting with a child can. They desperately needed each other and had nothing and no one else. My interpretation of the end of Corpse Fishing was that Yan and Old Bo would become each other's family. Tragedy and disaster can bring people together in unexpected ways.

If you're looking to watch a film that has a definitive resolution and ending to the story, you will not likely enjoy Corpse Fishing. If, however, you're open to something that just kind of takes you along with it and are open to the experience of it, you will appreciate this film.

I would also like to add some interesting notes about the production of Corpse Fishing. It was produced for Indeed.com, by none other than Lena Waithe, along with Rishi Rajani, Naomi Funabashi, and Travis Ing, all of Waithe's production company, Hillman Grad productions.

I say this to emphasize that independent film is typically committed to bringing new narratives and voices to the screen. I've seen a lot of excellent independent films and have been lucky enough to review some amazing works, now that I'm a film critic. I highly recommend watching independent films like Corpse Fishing when the opportunity arises. 

Written and Directed by Jean Liu 

Starring Harmonie He & Jizhong Zhang. 

8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING