From Omeleto.
A father and daughter are harassed.
SHOAL is used with permission from Tammes Bernstein. Learn more at https://tammesbernstein.com.
Eliza has grown up in a remote coastal town, where she now works at the local fish factory. Her father, Ian, is a fisherman, braving the ocean’s sometimes perilous waves, day in and day out.
When a colleague vanishes at sea during a fishing trip with Ian, rumors arise over what could have happened that night and Eliza finds herself a pariah at work. In the wake of pernicious gossip and social ostracization, Eliza must grapple with a terrifying doubt: does she truly know her father?
Directed by Tammes Bernstein from a script by Theo Wanderydz, this atmospheric short drama is both a mystery and a family drama, with both narrative strands revolving over the aftermath of a disappearance that has disquieted an isolated, small community. Ian’s fellow fisherman disappeared on a trip with Ian, apparently the victim of a terrible accident. As the town begins to doubt that narrative, Ian and his daughter Eliza feel the silent chill and judgment on the societal level, an alienation that also seeps into the relationship between parent and child.
Like a slow tide, the storytelling unfurls quietly at first, weaving between moments of intimate family moments, Eliza’s observation of both her village and her father and growing collective tension around her. The film’s visuals are both raw and poetic, capturing the desolate coast, daunting sea and the quaintness of the small town. There’s also attention paid to Eliza’s painstaking work at the fish factory, where she has her few social interactions with people close to her age. Otherwise, it’s just her and her father at home.
Coziness quickly becomes claustrophobic, however, when the town begins to ostracize her and Ian for what they suspect is foul play on Ian’s boat. Along with the vandalization of their home, the social isolation is cutting and quietly devastating for Eliza, affecting her deeply, and she attempts to bridge the distance for her father, who has become remote and withdrawn. As Eliza, actor Anna Munden conveys the innate energy and quiet strength of a young woman finding her place in the world and forging bonds at work, only for that process to derail. Her distress is understandable, as is her growing doubt about her own increasingly enigmatic father, played by actor Bartley Burke as both a hollowed-out shell of grief and a mystery. What starts as a slow burn of a narrative acquires momentum and disquieting chill as Eliza confronts the question of where she ultimately wants to stand.
Mesmerizing, beautifully crafted and penetrating, SHOAL is ultimately a meditation on fragility, whether it’s of truth, trust, reputation or mortality. There are no definitive answers for both the audience and Eliza, even as the narrative boils down to the question of what she will choose: to stand with her father despite the pressure or join the fold in silently judging and condemning him. Her choice is less a definitive conclusion and more an act of faith, and perhaps one of defiance as well.
