It is a documentary series with seven episodes on a kind shell dweller of Lake Tanganyika.
It is an unusual fish. The Neolamprologus multifasciatus (scientific name) are the smallest cichlids in the world. They are known to exhibit the more complex behaviors of all fish, and this species in particular, is a step ahead, rivaling the great social mammals.
Being so small has allowed them to dwell in vast beds of shells of Lake Tanganyika, where they form large colonies. The way they live in communities makes them so special. I found it amazing that no one has ever told this story. With so many nature documentaries on every conceivable subject, a filmmaker has never stopped for a moment to hear what these fish have to say. This project was a one man show (and 6 fish), with all the dangers and advantages that a film made entirely by one person usually has. Although I am responsible for everything, including the filming, editing, post-production, music and writing, this was mainly a big editing job that I must confess I do not miss. Going through more than 1,200 hours of footage of fish inside an aquarium is not something that one could easily "tackle" again alone. The narration is done by Pemba, whose voice belongs to Sylvia Vasconcelos, that is the first fish to come to the set.
What is the purpose of this short film in several chapters?
Alfredo Reis Deus: The noblest aim of my short film was to call attention to the lack of empathy to all that surrounds us. Let's imagine that my dog is suffering. One thing is for her to be near me and another thing if it is 100 meters, 200 meters or up to 500 meters away. We also feel these differences depending on the animal; we have more empathy for a large living being than a smaller one. And since the world began, and that there is life on earth, pain is felt similarly. What is intended with this work is that people were able to face smaller animals with the ability to have feelings very close to humans, and this was just the first movie. Pemba is a solitary animal, but then more people arrive. Not the ones he wanted, but he suffers the consequences. In terms of disclosure, if one of the pharmaceutical industries could see the potential of this narcoleptic, because surely this film helps in times when you have problems with insomnia. I wanted to turn this into a trilogy, is a classic drama, that heaven has in itself the seeds of hell, because it is an environment with limited space. I wanted to do a second sequence to continue the series that would take place in the city and there would be problems to overcrowding. The third part would lead to Pemba and his friends back to the land of their ancestors, Lake Tanganyika, Africa. To live the dream, this is extremely dangerous, because it has the ability to transform into a huge nightmare. Then I will explore this topic, and they would be eaten or not. That is the idea.
It is a portrait of loneliness?
ARD: It is. Actually there is a fish talking to itself, when in reality there are many people talking for him. On one hand, I looked at Pemba and tried to understand what he felt. On the other hand, there were also things I wanted to say that I occasionally said through the fish. In other times, the brightest part of the series, the fish had conversations with me and looked up to me the one who control it all. Like a conversations that we sometimes have with God, because He's always looking at everything we do and controls our lives. So they began to address me in that same way. In the end the fish forgive me.
Did you choose the Aquarium setting purposely because it conveys calm?
ARD: No, to tell you the truth I would have liked to have shot enclosed in the lake, and it is my intention is to shoot in Tanganyika in Africa. But it seemed surreal to me, the fish's environment set against a half human half natural background, using everything to make a lot of parallels between what happens in their lives and what happens in the lives of those who are out here. At the distance that immense sea but they are trapped. Even though in reality it is not a prison, because fish naturally live in small spaces, the size of your hand, despite the space available. During the series we play around with these thoughts.
Is it advisable to have a fish tank to reduce stress.
ARD: It's true. What happened is that I came to think of a film without narration. I put a relaxing music on the background, and it relaxed me without having anybody talking. All those beautiful, peaceful pictures, the sea in the background, those piles of sand, flowers, birds, were good for me.
There are those who found the film extremely boring.
ARD: It is (laughs). We see it in many ways.
You decided to just look for one microcosm in real time and so do not get too preoccupied with time?
ARD: I did not bother with the time for a reason, usually I work with films that are ordered, in which I do not have a lot of freedom. This situation is a movie I decided to do it my own way, so I did what I don't like the others do, actually author cinema. The kind of cinema in which a person does what he wants and does not care if people like it or not. I wish I had this experience once in my life, and in fact some people find the film boring and with good reason. That is why I say that the possibility of it being distributed is through the pharmaceutical industry, for people who have difficulty sleeping at night, it would be a guaranteed success. On the other hand, it is incredible that the story that being told, is being told by animals. There are seven chapters in total.
And the choice of title?
ARD: That was not the original title. It was supposed to be called "fish brother" because it was a kind of "big brother" with competitors that enter and exit in an orderly fashion, all tucked in a confined space which increases the emotions, but with fish. On the other hand, it could have been called "fish brother" because it implied that the emotions that were felt were much like those we have throughout life: jealousy, love, hate, revenge, everything was there. This is a novel and you cannot imagine head what comes next.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMUgGbM6D20
