Fish Out of Water (2005) User Reviews

Good portrait and background music

[AdamHawkes · 8/10 · 27 April 2013]

The film is a story about a man who works as a paddler. Every day, he lived a usual life. However, since the day when he met a woman, who was very beautiful and mysterious, his life has greatly changed.

It is the portrait and the background music of this film that I like. Though the film is a nonverbal one, it had me understand the emotions of its characters because of its music and scenes. And, its portrait is so comical that I had a lot of fun while I was watching this film.

However, I couldn't know to the last whether the leading man loved a fishing woman. Perhaps she loves him . But does he feel anything for her? So, in this respect, the film disappointed me. I would like to know what he feels for her.

On the whole, I like this film very much. Its actors and actresses are good performers and its music effectively represents each scene. And this film might make you not only amused but also happy, because it is comparatively peaceful. There are not violence or fearfulness. So, I recommend that you should watch this film. And I would like you to have a good time.

interesting

[Bell_09 · 7/10 · 16 July 2013]

This story us concerns a man who is goes to work by rowboat. Visitors come to him his and change his thinking.

No one speaks at all but it is an interesting film. Actually I do not like silent films so I have never watched a silent screen film properly, nevertheless I appreciated this story. The warm tone relieved my anxiety and pressure, and the simple editing and also the length are good for me. If you always watch movies rely on the dialog, possibly this film will be a handhold for taking an interest in silent movies. It is funny that an animation suddenly appears. Many unexpected things pleased me.

I like the characters. An attractive woman is selfish, a man who looks rich is clever, these plain expressions are amusing.

I am glad to see the film. The movies I have watched till now are mostly action movies. But I think I am going to watch various movies from now on.

Nothing will change unless you take actions by yourself

[strawberry-jam-shake · 8/10 · 10 May 2013]

One fishing girl sits near the port secretly watching a young office workers commute by rowing the boat to arrive at the port every day. Later, people get into the young man's boat one after another.

What is most special to me is the film has colorful character and never bores the viewer. Especially impressive is a good-looking but also selfish woman, and a noisy obese man wearing a tie with a picture of an elephant. The music has great effect to bring out the character sensitively.

Personally speaking, both actors and actresses act exaggeratedly. Therefore, I feel lack of realism and sympathy with the lead at several times.

Generally, this short movie is well-made. Therefore, I recommend you should watch this movie .The development of the story is not only humorous but also moving. It symbolizes making a fresh start in life. I want to follow the rowing man's acts of courage. You are certain to be moved deeply by the amazing ending.

atmosphere is nice

[yfm3594 · 7/10 · 8 August 2013]

A man uses a boat to go to his office. One day, a woman makes use of his boat, and as the time goes on, more and more people egocentrically begin to take his boat. At last, he comes up with an idea to avoid them.

I like the yellow-colored landscape and comfortable music in this film. I've never been to New Zealand but I felt as if I were in my old hometown.

On the other hand, I think the story is too simple. Although it's difficult to make a great plot in such a short film, I expected more humorous or a surprising development.

As a whole, I don't think this is an elaborate film but I was attracted to its easygoing atmosphere. I've never seen a feature made in New Zealand, but if I have the chance, I'd like to see it.

an independent spirit

[theSecretAlchemist · 8/10 · 20 April 2013]

A young man beats the traffic by rowing to work every morning. The journey is serene, and life-affirming. There is a hint of romance with a woman fishing on the pier each morning. This idyllic picture is threatened when one woman decides to take advantage of the young man's insight.

This is a technically brilliant short film. Dialogue is eschewed and tensions and conflicts are conveyed through facial expression and a heightened awareness of montage in the editing. The actor playing the main character goes adeptly from contentment, to frustration, then seething anger, and back to contentment. The music complements the action. I especially enjoyed a revolving door shot that exits an early scene.

The one caveat is the second character to enter the boat, an overweight ignoramus whose animated tie lays it on a bit thick, and whose expressions when disposing of a potato chip wrapper are slightly vaudeville. This guy's presence slightly overplayed the conflict in the boat.

We all desire peace and tranquility. When we have it, we probably take it for granted, until it is threatened. Often, it is the small pleasures in life we should treasure, like the sun on our faces, or a leisurely commute to work. This film does a good job of reminding us of that.

He is a clever man!

[goalkeeper-yuta · 7/10 · 26 June 2013]

A young man is suffering from other people by his good character. He tried to think about the idea how to solve this problem about the way he commutes. I like his bright idea. At first I thought why he did not refuse other people's offer. He is too kind, but finally he did not use his boat. I do not like the man, because he brought the motor engine. Indeed to use the engine make them commute more easily, but it damages the water condition. And throws away the snack package in the sea. That is terrible. He does not have common manners. I think it is good to help the other people who are in trouble, but we should take care of ourselves. Relying on people many times does not improve our independent skills.

Fun to watch

[yk-88 · 8/10 · 14 May 2013]

I think this is kind of a funny story. This story is about a man who uses a boat to go to work. At first, there was only him, but...? An amazing end is waiting! It's very comical, so I was made to laugh.

Through this story, what I liked is the reactions of the man. Since it was the movie with no words, I guess it must be a little bit difficult to express his feeling. However, I understood his feelings like 'good', 'tired', 'be upset' and so on by looking at his reactions. On the other hand, it was hard for me to understand who these people are.

It was my first time to watch this kind of no-words movie. I found that aspect and the time economy very interesting!

funny!

[user-704-392173 · 7/10 · 9 July 2013]

The film is about the daily life of a man.

He lives in a small port town, and he always goes to his work by a small boat. This film has no dialogs. So the interesting point is the music and the expression of the actors.

At the same time, because of no voiced conversation, it is a little bit difficult to understand the massage of the filmmaker in a short time. The massage of this film, which I felt from the man, is "Be yourself".

In the movie, the man changes his way flexibly .I think the flexibility in the life is really important, but what is more, not to lose your identity and just "be yourself"

Fish Out of Water

[rumi-s0507 · 8/10 · 21 August 2013]

I think that it is a kind of comedy if I must classify this story. But it can be seen from the various sides. From the social side, many people who commute during the morning rush hour were caught in a traffic jam and grew impatient. The chief character of this story, the man who goes to work in the boat also felt the stress. His comfortable commuting was interfered with by his boss and coworkers. In this way, most characters feel some kind of stress in urban life. The ending of this story was not only the punch line but also a liberation from stress. Then there is the love story element, too. The chief character and the woman fished every morning are attracted to each other. I like this scene the best. Because this film was silent, I could imagine various things.

What does this movie suggest?

[mentai-a · 7/10 · 18 August 2013]

This is a story of man who rows boat every day, a woman who sees the man while fishing, and passengers who have no manners. In this short movie, my favorite scene is that the man rejects the boat, because it is bad to pollute the river, and his brave action makes me feel excited. Another favorite points of this movie is that this movie has no lines. This movie conveys its message by using only pictures and music. This is why we have to consider the purpose which the writes and director of this movie wants to tell us. In conclusion, this short movie has some implications, and suggests message. Why does the man row a boat every day? Why does the woman fish? What is the relationship between the title of this movie and the story? This short movie tells us important things in the present age. I want many people to watch this movie, and to consider the implications of this movie.

very interesting story

[shuna-14122 · 9/10 · 24 July 2016]

This story is very interesting story. A comfortable commute is very important for us. In particular in Tokyo, Japan, crowded train is familiar to people. In this story, the man used a boat due to traffic jam. The man's idea is interesting. Somehow, the man wants to commute lazily and freely. Rather than earlier arrival. But, his colleagues neglected his desire and think about only an easy commute. In particular, the woman has the impudence to invite other colleagues without his permission into his boat. Nowadays, in Japan bicycle commute and struggled working hours are increasing. So, I hope people can commute comfortably. Also, people can think more about the person's feeling. In this story in particular the woman didn't think about his feeling. So, we should commute struggled working hours, bicycle commute or by using public transportation like train and buses.

Comfortable day

[rie-63184 · 7/10 · 26 July 2016]

In the town, there is a man who does not like the morning rush. Therefore, he uses a boat every day but one day his comfortable day is disturbed. This film is interesting and humorous because there are three reasons.

First, it is an unexpected story. At for film, unexpected ending is important element. It is also interesting his movement when he is cornered.

Second, it is character. Character is also an important thing in film. The most impressive characters are a timid man, a strong woman, and a fat man like an elephant.

Finally, it is music. This film is silent so the music expresses character's feeling. It is easy to understand and interesting. This film is interesting for young and old of both sexes.

Do what you like

[sawii29 · 5/10 · 7 May 2013]

A man goes to his office by boat because he does't like crowded places. One day, a beautiful woman comes to him and asks him if he can take her to her office by the boat. Day by day, people come to him, but at the same time he feels uncomfortable and ...

The message of this film is "Do what you like" I think. He is not brave enough to say "No" to other people. I have something in common with him. We know we should say "No". No one can control you.

I'm sure that Fish out of water means him. When he does the thing he doesn't like means being out of water, and when he does what he likes means being in water. So, he is exactly the same as a fish. Doing what you don't like makes you almost die.

It is surprising that the film without dialogue has so much information and gives a strong impression.

Fish Out of Water

[miya1221 · 7/10 · 26 June 2013]

In Fish Out of Water, the sensitivity of a hero is described through his rowing his boat and he is gradually being bothered by facing the bad point of human being. First of all, I noticed that nobody in the film talks and I can hear only background music playing and the sound of the surface of the water.Nevertheless, I could imagine the feeling of the characters, for example; what they are thinking and what will happen next. Second, the screen is yellowish all the time, therefore I could get a warm sense from watching it. This film is short, however I think it is so exciting that people watching it can enjoy and use their imagination.

Interesting story

[ymtm · 8/10 · 17 July 2013]

A man wants to avoid traffic jam, so he tries to commute by sea instead of by car. Though he can go to work comfortably at first, a woman who does not like congestion asks to get on his boat. Once he allows her to, more and more people are coming to his boat.

I enjoyed this film very much. Actors do not speak in it, as they are not necessary. The man's face tells his feelings to us enough. The man's idea to avoid traffic jam is very amazing, but I can sympathize with him. For I travel by train every day which is really crowded in the morning. I wish I could avoid it like the man.

I like this short film very much and I recommend watching it. The end of this film is so interesting. Especially, those who are bothered by traffic jams or so will be made to laugh and can enjoy it.

interesting

[peg0120 · 7/10 · 9 July 2013]

A young man goes to his the office job by boat every day. This gives rise to a strange happening in this story. The main characters are a young man who is rowing the boat, a business woman who is very elegant and fascinating and a fat man who is considered to be her coworker.

My favorite point in this movie is a young man going to his office job by boat. This way is very tasteful because he can see the sea the and watch birds and fish. I think the breeze is so comfortable.

I dislike two points. First the fat man throws away his garbage in the sea. That action leads to polluting the sea. Second the young man rowing the boat is meek because he can't decline the offer of the business woman asking, but it means he is kind.

All things considered, I like this short movie because I am interested in his idea which is rowing a boat to his office job. This way isn't thought of by many people and if people think of this idea, people won't challenge it. So I think his idea is novel and wonderful.

This is a story of a man.

[ih-n14 · 8/10 · 4 August 2013]

This story begins from the scene where a man is in a boat. The man rows the boat the boat every day to go to his office. He allows various people in his boat. A woman who always fishes in the harbor was looking at this every day.

The ending of this movie was very intriguing. If this movie has a continuation, I want to watch it. I like the tone of this movie, which was marvelous. The color of the sky in the last scene was a vivid green and it was so striking. The music and camera-work are nice too. I prefer this kind of this movie and I want to watch it again.

I was surprised when I was watched this movie, because the movie has no conversation. Honestly, I could not understand what the film wants to say. However the lack of dialog does not detract from what is a wonderful.

Today's manners

[academicwriting · 7/10 · 16 July 2013]

This movie's main character is a business man. He gets across the lake each morning by boat to work. At first, he goes there with a beautiful woman who wants to go the same way to work. However, after a few days, more and more business men come to the lake to get across the lake easily. It is only hard work for him. They bring the radio, snacks and so on. A man dump snacks garbage in the lake. A woman makes up her face on the boat. They are oblivious to their surroundings. We must think about fellow passengers, because they sarcastically on today's manners. I think this movie wants to tell us how important having the feeling of appreciation is! Also this movie doesn't use any dialogue, so the music tells us the main character's feeling and emotion. This point is very interesting.

great movie

[berryberry32 · 8/10 · 24 July 2013]

This movie is about a regular life of a man. He rides boat to his work everyday, but something happens and he changes his way.

The most interesting thing about this film, in my opinion, is that there is no dialogue in this film. You have to imagine what the characters say and how they feel. I think this is very interesting because maybe no one has an exactly same idea and opinion.

There are some unhappy things in the story. If I were the man, the main character, I would not be able to say "No," as same as him. I have learned from this film that you should not be controlled by others.

In conclusion, this film is a no dialogue one that tells watchers an important lesson. It teaches us that you should be able to say your idea to others and should not be a useful person to anyone. This is a nice film that is worth spending your time to watch.

Amazing way!

[alexxxx-76667 · 26 July 2016]

I wrote amazing way in the title. Exactly, we are amazed twice by this movie. The main character goes to work by rowing the boat. because his lived area, there is heavy traffic jam by people using car head to work. He can avoid that by rowing the boat. One day he meets beautiful woman. He become go to work with the beautiful woman by boat. As a result, his boat become full. The people using his boat, they are very say selfish without passenger. Second amazing point is his action. He can not stand the passengers selfish. Therefore he abandon rowing the boat. He instead of rowing the boat, he swim to his work place. When he ups from the sea, he smiled.

Peaceful Commute

[yu-ka · 7/10 · 23 December 2021]

Fish Out of Water is a comedy short movie made in 2005. It is a story of a male worker who rows his boat comfortably to work every day to avoid the morning traffic jams. However, his commute suddenly turns in to a painful one when he meets an attractive woman. Many rude people start to disgust him by their attitudes lacking common sense. I found it an interesting way to learn about the foolishness of temptation based on sexuality and the differences the way of thinking and people's values. Also, there is no dialogue, but the emotions of the main character and the music match very well. And the choice he made at the end is very impressive. And, I feel the camerawork is very exciting. This film makes you thoughtful, so it is worth seeing it. I think this movie is short but a very informative story that should be seen by all ages, from young children to adults.

Interesting

[monakazu · 10/10 · 28 May 2016]

This is one of the short movies and there's no dialog, but there are many interesting elements in this movie. At first, situation is interesting. A man, who is a main character of this movie, tries to avoid what he hates, and the way he does that is so unique. I think most of audiences cannot expect his way even if they don't like what he hates the same as him. Second, it shows human psychology clearly. In general, if human find someone do something he or she wants to do in a good way, he or she wants to imitate that way. I think the director of this movie knows humans natural essence vary well, and audience can understand it from this movie. Finally, main character mans resistance. It makes viewers so exciting. In this movie, he resists what prevents him from his action, and that makes viewers feel refreshed at last. There are no dialog and few characters, but those interesting elements makes this movie attractive.

Interesting story

[okk07 · 7/10 · 10 August 2017]

I thought that this film is fun! First, it is interesting that there are two view and story. These are man's view and woman's view. Especially, I'm interested in the change of expression of the woman. From this scene, I thought about whether she loves him and she gets jealous of a woman who get on his boat at first. Second, when I image the story from a title "fish out of water", I was not able to imagine the story. However, when I finished watching this film, I understood the title in some ways. I think that fish is the man who commute by boat and the meaning of title is the consequence that the man commutes by swimming., Third, a man tries to solve a problem around him and when he solves the problem. I thought he is clever. I can't imagine the consequence that he commute by swimming and I was surprised.

nice

[satohakilesson · 5/10 · 17 July 2013]

This story is that the man carries people by boat because traffic on the road is so busy for people.

I like the scene that the number of people who take on the boat increased and the man felt upset. I like the contacts between the man and the woman who fishes. As the circumstances on the boat change, the contacts change. In the first scene of the film, the cool woman drums her fingers. That scene represents the stress caused by the busy traffic and this is my favorite scene in this film.

I don't like the scene that the fat man throws his package of chips away into the sea because it has bad influence on children.

I think that satirizing heavy traffic of present society is the conclusion of this film. Roads are full of cars, so I think we should widespread our visions to river and sea.

more improvement

[chipn0603 · 17 July 2013]

a young man goes to his office job by boat every morning. and people who ride in the boat increase day by day.

i like the music of this film, as it describes the main character's feelings. the animation of the opening is also my favorite point. the words of the title appeared from waves. it is so enjoyable and wonderful. but i think the animation of an elephant on the obese man's tie is not necessary in that scene.one other minus point is the scene of a revolving door as it is too long. it is uncomfortable.

the action is useful for me to understand their characters, but i have no idea about the role of a fishing woman.

although this movie is silent, the persuasive expressions are not enough to convey the message. or my understanding is low.