Review: ‘Little Fish’
Anchored by powerful performances from Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell, and the undeniable chemistry between them, Little Fish is an emotional, surprisingly nuanced romantic microthriller that will undoubtedly tug at viewers’ heartstrings.
You can’t discuss Little Fish, the latest film from director Chad Hartigan, without mentioning the elephant in the room. Although it was both written and filmed prior to the emergence of the COVID-19 virus, Little Fish is set in 2021 and depicts the rise of a highly contagious virus that causes people to lose their memory instantly or gradually depending on which strain they manage to get in contact with. Although the specifics are wildly different, the way in which the world reacts to this virus is almost prophetic, with some people taking it seriously, some calling it a government conspiracy and some even outright denying its existence. Sound familiar?
Thankfully, Little Fish manages to steer clear from the familiar tropes and exploitative nature of other pandemic-themed films, such as last year’s Songbird, and instead focuses on the more grounded elements of the film’s concept, culminating in an emotional, surprisingly nuanced romantic microthriller that will tug at viewers’ heartstrings. Adapted from a short story from author Aja Gabel by screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, Little Fish centers on aspiring veterinarian Emma (Olivia Cooke) and photographer Jude (Jack O’Connell), a young and happy couple whose lives are thrown into a tailspin after Jude contracts the virus. As his memories of their relationship slowly start to slip away, Emma desperately enrolls him in a clinical trial for a proposed treatment, hoping to save what they so preciously managed to build together.
Little Fish fully rests on the back of its stellar cast, all of whom manage to prove that they are more than capable of the difficult challenge they are tasked with. Olivia Cooke, fresh off of an acclaimed supporting role in major Oscar contender Sound of Metal, is simply sublime as the initially earnest and warm Emma, establishing an upbeat, carefree nature that soon gives way to a heartbreaking portrayal of a woman bereaved by loss and grief. Jack O’Connell is equally as good as the cool and confident Jude. O’Connell has the screen presence of a leading man, one that has gone largely untapped within the industry, and Hartigan uses it to his advantage, drawing on O’Connell’s charm and charisma to bait viewers into familiar rom-com tropes before he relentlessly turns them on their head with something much darker emotional.
The main draw, however, is the chemistry between Cooke and O’Connell, who manage to build a wonderful dynamic as Emma and Jude respectively. Their relationship is not a simple one, far from it, and they both take their time to establish its history with a series of flashbacks and montages that document some of their best moments together, making it all the more tragic when Jude starts losing his memory. The beauty and appeal of Little Fish lies in these moments rather than its inventive concept and sci-fi elements, and Hartigan and his actors know this, concerning themselves with building on their characters’ romantic history and the fleeting moments they share rather than the specifics of the virus. In the world of Little Fish, people aren’t defined by what they do but who they are, and this is what sets it apart from films with similar concepts.
With Little Fish, Hartigan and Tomlin have managed to create a beautiful ode to life, love and humanity, one that will undoubtedly stick with viewers long after the credits roll.
Rating: 4/5
Little Fish is now available on VOD.