Year of the Fish
David Kaplan
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Plot Summary
In this modern-day adaptation of Cinderella, award-winning filmmaker David Kaplan transposes the fairytale's archetypical characters to a vibrant urban setting: a massage parlor in New York's Chinatown specializing in "happy endings." An optimistic young girl travels alone to New York City where she hopes to earn money to send home to her ailing father. Expecting work in a beauty salon, the girl is instead delivered into the hands of her father's distant cousin, an embittered woman who runs a seedy massage parlor. The girl surrenders her passport as collateral for her "debt" and is informed of her duties. When she refuses to do the requisite sex work, the girl accepts her fate as the operation's browbeaten servant, her only solace a magical goldfish given to her by a sidewalk fortuneteller. Sprinkled with fantasy, romance and suspense, "Year of the Fish" is presented in a delicately layered animation style that evokes a painting come to life. The film's first-rate ensemble cast includes Ken Leung (LOST, X-Men 3, Rush Hour), Tsai Chin (The Joy Luck Club), acclaimed Broadway veteran Randall Duk Kim (The Matrix Reloaded, the upcoming Dragonball), and introduces An Nguyen.
Credits
Director
Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
58%- Reviews Counted: 24
- Fresh: 14
- Rotten: 10
- Average Rating: 5.5/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: An adult fable told with childlike simplicity, Year of the Fish updates an ancient Chinese version of the Cinderella story with imagination, charm and just the right amount of sweetness.
Rotten: That the film is animated gives it an appropriately magical feel, but it can't save the story from being drowned in devices and stereotype.
Rotten: Year of the Fish is the kind of really bad movie it takes a lot of misplaced conviction to make.
Fresh: Written and directed by Reginald Harkema with a sharp eye toward the paradoxes of fighting The Man in the 21st century.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful Fairy Tale
This is a beautifully strange Chinese fairy tale. The acting is great, the story is unique- I loved every minute of it.
Year Of The Fish
This movie is great. There are so many movies that have capitalized on the cinderella type theme, but this film takes some good twist and turns, making it a stand out film. An excellent piece.
wonderful story about love. Definitely worth seeing.
The acting is superb, the director didn't rush the story. The characters developed and grew. Each with their own destiny. Very well worth the time to watch with someone you care about.
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