A milquetoast fish store owner gets drawn into the orbit of a serial killer and his equally nutty wife. A funny, perverted and shocking film by Sono Sion, the cult master of extreme madness.
Sono orchestrates his tale with... irony to match the horror, and realism to dampen down the melodrama. Altogether, it’s quite a feat.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2011
Cold Fish 2010
Tsumetai nettaigyo
Fans of Sono Sion’s Love Exposure (NZIFF09) won’t need much of a push to see this perverse chunk of black comedy horror. Funny, exhausting, callous and ultimately devastating in its final reel, this is one blood-drenched character study that’s hard to shake. Reportedly based on a true story of a serial killer, Cold Fish sees Shamoto, an awkward milquetoast tropical-fish-store owner befriended by the obnoxious and outgoing Murata, who hides a deeply disturbing persona. Pulled into this awkward friendship are Shamoto’s snooty bride, his rebellious daughter and, finally, Murata’s sexually aggressive wife. When Shamoto witnesses some of Murata and his kooky wife’s sick behaviour, he finds himself trapped in a bloody whirlpool, where his only escape is to finally stand up for himself. — AT
“Couldn’t easily be mistaken for anything other than what it is: another fervid fantasia hatched by cult Japanese helmer Sono Sion.” — Leslie Felperin, Variety