The Fish Fall in Love (2006)

Great Film overall

best movie i've ever seen.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA...and ORLANDO, FL When watching a film produced by another culture, the "Lost in Translation" factor is usually an undeniable part of the equation. "FISH" is no exception. For openers, the title itself is askew. Farsi, the language spoken in Iran, does not employ articles ("The" or "a/an"). When translating, their use provides a serious challenge to Iranians. Here, the translator should have rendered: "FISH Fall in Love" as the title, sans "The"! Let's put shortcomings aside for a moment and focus on FISH's strengths, which are ample. The term "unpretentious" is overused as of late. If ever there was a film deserving of this distinction, "FISH" certainly is it. Reza has recently gotten out of prison, where he had been locked up for 20 plus years. Apparently, he was whisked away just days before he was to be married to Atieh.From the get go, it's obvious Reza is still pining for Atieh, big time! Meanwhile, Atieh has converted what was to be their home, into a very popular restaurant. "FISH" chronicles the incremental thawing and eventual initial re-kindling of that relationship, and does so in a way that is simultaneously poignant, warm-hearted, realistic and yet, oddly mundane.The film gives us a glimpse of some of the cultural nuances of Iran. The importance of food as a tool for bringing a family together at the table, the myriad of difficulties encountered by a woman widowed or abandoned by her husband and how wagging-tongued gossips can take the joy out of life. Without any spoiler details, I found the ending to be rather mystifying and thought-provoking.An attribute shared, surprisingly enough, by other Iranian films I've seen. "FISH" does suffer from some production value issues, which often plague low-budget productions. The dialog recorded outdoors and in the kitchen leave a lot to be desired. Well, you'll probably be reading the sub-titles anyway, right? Said sub-standard sub-titles prompted me to lower my rating from 8* to 7*.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!!!

Two intertwined love and separation stories. After a long absence, a man returns to his house now occupied by a previous flame. The parallel story is that of the woman's daughter who is about to suffer the same loss of her sweetheart that her mother suffered. The story focus is on the man. What he will do? Will the old love be rekindled? Will the daughter's fate be different? The man's intentions, actions and feelings are purposely obfuscated to keep us wondering. But the future path is easily guessed. The film is predictable. The depiction of charged emotions is often unconvincing, especially when coming from the main actress. The actress playing the daughter does a better job.The star attraction is the food. The action mostly takes place in a restaurant, which the man's house has become. Many plates of delectable dishes often fill the frame of the screen. You leave the theater hungry. The message is clear: the most effective way for a woman to get to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Mahiha ... bears many similarities with another notable Iranian film, Cafe Transit. In both movies a single mother uses her culinary skills to run a restaurant and support her daughter. Food also plays a pivotal role in both films and perhaps even more so here where director Rafii and his famed cinematographer Kalari make sure that the camera lingers on every dish prepared. The main difference is that here the central character is a man, Aziz (Reza Kianian), an ex-political prisoner, returning home after 22 years and re-igniting an old love affair with Atieh (Roya Nonahali) who is running a restaurant , in a property still owned by Aziz, to support her daughter. Aziz's return raises questions in the restaurant and within the small coastal community: has he returned to reclaim his old property or his old love? Mahiha is a less complex film than Cafe Transit and has a slenderer storyline. It is, however, finely acted by the two leads and is consistently engaging and watchable. Kalari's camera work, is another major plus.

...Fish Fall in Love is Iranian theater director Ali Raffi'i's first feature about two lovers being reunited after a twenty-year separation, and a new generation of about-to-be lovers, about to be separated.Ex-political prisoner and Iranian émigré Aziz returns to his home at a Caspian Sea coastal village, where he finds that his former beloved Atieh, her daughter and two sisters have appropriated his family home and turned it into a restaurant. The film is shot like an old postcard from your grandparents' seaside holiday, complete with long images of regional specialties. In this film, no dish leaves the kitchen without making a cameo. Can you imagine jeweled rice doing the red-carpet walk at Cannes?...http://www.culiblog.org/2006/02/when-fish-fall-in-love/ where there are more food-related film reviews