The Amazing Catfish
Description
In director Claudia Sainte-Luce’s debut feature The Amazing Catfish, the worlds of a rambunctious matriarchy and a withdrawn misfit collide and combine in a moving reflection of living and dying with courage. When solitary protagonist Claudia (Ximena Ayala) winds up in the hospital with appendicitis, she makes an unexpected connection with a fellow patient, single mother Martha (Lisa Owen). Martha’s four children, who range in age from pre-adolescent to mostly grown, create a rowdy atmosphere in and out of the hospital, starkly contrasting with Claudia’s muted existence. But as their lives become increasingly more entwined, each breaching the defenses of the other, Claudia becomes a quietly integral part of their rough-and-tumble household: part confidante, part caretaker, part cautious changeling. At the core of the film is Martha’s struggle to live each day with intention, even as her illness diminishes her physically, and this infuses her home with ferocious passion. Confidently filmed by Claire Denis’ long-time cinematographer, Agnès Godard, this spare but colorful film—set in Guadalajara and based loosely on true events from Saint-Luce’s own life—embraces the inclination to define a family as the people you choose and are chosen by, not necessarily the ones you’re born to. –Nicole Gluckstern
Born in 1982, in Veracruz, Mexico, Claudia Sainte-Luce attended the University of Guadalajara, where she graduated in 2004 with a degree in Visual Arts. Her first short film, Muerte Anunciada (Death Announced), was completed in just 24 hours as part of the 2005 Festival Expresion en Corto in Guanajuato and won an award for best actor as well as a jury mention. Her debut feature-length film, The Amazing Catfish, won a Primer Corte prize (given to a work in progress) at the 2012 Ventana Sur film festival in Buenos Aires, and a FIPRESCI award in the “Discovery” category at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/90581459?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Spanish
Original Language Title Los insólitos peces gato
Year 2013
Runtime 89
Country Mexico
Director Claudia Sainte-Luce
Producer Geminiano Pineda
Writer Claudia Sainte-Luce
Editor Santiago Ricci
Cinematographer Agnès Godard
Music Madame Recamier
Cast Ximena Ayala, Lisa Owen, Sonia Franco, Wendy Guillén, Andrea Baeza, Alejandro Ramírez-Muñoz
Print Source Strand Releasing/ mike@strandreleasing.com