Review of Little Fish (2005) by Vig S — 24 Jan 2008

Blanchett and Weaving are both fantastic throughout the film, with Weaving's impetuous ex-rocker heroin addict being a great burden on his heroin-clean step daughter. The temptation is always there; the harsh reality of being turned down for a loan for her own business continues to play on her mind and her self control.

And with an ex-boyfriend thrown into the picture at the worst possible time, it is impossible to escape her turbulent past in favour of her self redemption. The only problem that this film suffers from is the lack of pace.

I found myself sometimes tempted to fast forward parts to see what was going to happen next, as some unecessary scenes were padded out and far too lengthy in relation to their level of importance to the plot.

That said, it's definitely worth watching for an atmospheric Australian drama. If you focus on the characters and view them as studies of modern Australians tainted by the dark influence of drugs, you can see how addiction affects everyone around the user.

Its fascinating to see how those close to Tracy know the pains of keeping clean, and Tracy's mother doesn't fully understand just knows enough to have more than a few restless nights over it.