Year of the Fish Review

Based on a Chinese fairy tale Ye Xian (葉限), Year of the Fish is a 2008 animated film that uses a rotoscoping technique. The actors are mostly Asian though English is the spoken language in the movie. The story is set in New York’s Chinatown.

Year of the Fish

Chinese Title: 魚年

Year: 2007

Language: English

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Ye Xian (An Nguyen) leaves her sick father in China and went to the US for greener pastures. She arrives at a massage parlour and is introduced to a stern-looking Mrs. Su (Tsai Chin) whom they refer to as “Auntie”. While running on an errand, Xian encounters a strange woman (Randall Duk Kim) who has been eyeing her the whole time. She approaches her and is told about her future being filled with bad luck. To counter this, the old woman gives her a magical fish.

As she stays at the parlour, she realizes that it is actually a brothel disguised as a parlour. She refuses to “serve” her clients and as a result, Mrs. Su punishes her by making her everyone’s slave. This marks the start of her difficult times on a strange land.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

This is an adult version of Cinderella but with a twist. The plot is familiar to everyone, but it tells much more than a girl meeting her prince charming. It talks about values and principles. Xian greatly values her purity. She stays strong despite being verbally, physically, and emotionally abused. It is a truly admirable trait. In the end, her insistence has paid off.

The movie’s rotoscoping made it more fairy-tale like without appearing too childish. It was my first time to watch a movie using this animation technique. It was fun and weird at the same time. I find it hard to appreciate the actors’ acting after their faces had been blurred. I couldn’t even see An Nguyen’s face (I didn’t know what she looks like).  Though I give importance to the dialogues of a movie I’m watching, I’d also love to see the characters’ facial expressions. Some viewers may find the movie too “painful” to watch, literally. It does hurt the eyes.

Despite my complaint about the rotoscoping, I think it’s a great idea. It is a risky move, but it has its pros and cons. The animation is very suitable to the movie, given that the narrator is a fish. It makes the movie appear like under the water, which is genius because the story is being seen from the fish’s eyes.

My other gripe is the strong Chinese accent of some characters. Some people may have a hard time picking up the dialogues. Being a Chinese myself, I admit that I can’t understand some of the lines. I wish the movie has a subtitle for more pleasant viewing.

Though it is a fairy tale, Year of the Fish may not be suitable for young children because of the theme. I recommend this movie to adults, especially those working abroad.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

6 out of 10 stars

Related Products: