Studio 2 - GO FISH

Go Fish

While waiting for the funeral service of his grandmother to commence, a young man named Andy plays an unorthodox version of Go Fish with his family in the attempt of easing each other’s grief through laughter. In playing the game, Andy strives to connect with his mother, Maria, who’s unresolved past is causing her to distance herself from her family by lashing out at them and dismissing the game – causing Andy to persist further.

Director's Statement

GO FISH is about a family who are processing their grief individually in the midst of a funeral of the family's matriarch. Andy, the youngest son of Maria, encourages an unconventional game of go fish which motivates the family to come together and confront their grief together through laughter and memories of the lost loved one.

This film rings true to a wide variety of people. It is a human story about how everyone processes the same grief for someone in different ways. It poses the question; Is there a right way to act in this situation? Is it okay to laugh and smile? What is going to happen to our mourning lives after this ceremony? - Will this bring closure? What really hooked me about GO FISH is that it confronts these questions with a certain human irony and this is how I plan to design my technical planning for the film.

Everyone experiences grief in some way throughout their lives, if you’ve loved in any capacity, it's almost certain that you have grieved. I believe that, as I said earlier, ‘GO FISH’ confronts the idea of grief and acknowledges that times like this are tough and it is understandable that misunderstanding, confrontations and frustrations naturally arise from such a situation. This resonates as it relates to the human condition and the experiences that we go through in our lives.

Dysfunctional families who don’t support each other are present in today's society and can lead to further, bigger issues. This is defined as a social issue. I believe that while the characters in our film are supportive of each other and really do love each other, their grief separates them and defines them individually, naturally through the death of the grandmother. It’s a touching subject that I definitely feel needs to be ‘earned’ through my direction and everyone's role individually. If this is done each aspect of the film can connect with a certain harmony and grace beneath such a heavy subject. My main point about GO FISH is that its subject is heavy, yet it is an incredibly sensitive film which entirely earns its sentiment.

Nicholas Pribilovic <3

Producer's Statement

Humour has always been a big part of my personality and so this story heavily resonates with me. It is how I cope with times of anxiety and melancholy and I think this is true for a lot of people as well. This film shows that people deal with grief differently but also shows the characters trying to understand why this is so. My family is not the closest so I sympathise with Andy clashing with his mum. Stressful situations that test our bond and pushes us to put extra effort in understanding one another. Especially with the recent occurrence of covid, a lot of people have lost loved ones and the pandemic heavily affected everyone's mental state which is why I think the release of this film is relevant now. The multi-faceted but relatable characters make for empathy and reflect real life. Loss and unity are universal experiences that will resonate with a mainstream audience and I believe they will walk away from the film feeling seen and with a new appreciation for the people around them.

Yen Arcilla <3