Year of the Fish

Name: Year of the Fish
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Animation
Released: August 29, 2008
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 53

2008

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Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Year Of The Fish

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Movie Details & Credits

Gigantic Releasing | Release Date: August 29, 2008

Summary: A young hopeful girl named Ye Xian travels alone to New York City to try to make some money for her ailing father back home in China. She falls into the clutches of Mrs. Su, who runs a massage parlor in the heart of Chinatown. But Ye Xian refuses to do the requisite sex work for the clients, so she is made into a menial servant who must doA young hopeful girl named Ye Xian travels alone to New York City to try to make some money for her ailing father back home in China. She falls into the clutches of Mrs. Su, who runs a massage parlor in the heart of Chinatown. But Ye Xian refuses to do the requisite sex work for the clients, so she is made into a menial servant who must do all the laundry, cleaning, shopping and cooking – a Cinderella. However, she finds solace in a magical fish given to her by the strange hunchback Auntie Yaga and in her fleeting, tender encounters with Johnny, a local jazz musician. With a crescendo that takes place at the height of the Chinese New Year – complete with lion dancers, firecrackers, and an enormous banquet in a palatial Chinatown restaurant – Year of the Fish spins the conventions of the traditional fairy tale in ways that are consistently surprising and engaging. (Gigantic Pictures)… Expand

Director: David Kaplan

Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Animation

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto

The film's unusual look lends a magical feeling. Read full review

Pete Vonder Haar

A sweetly engaging effort that manages a fair amount of charm and innocence in spite of the rather seedy surroundings. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Packs more sadness than the familiar fairy tale but offers its own fantastical delights. Ye Xian's party dress, made of teardrops, suits her -- and her story -- perfectly. Read full review

Bob Mondello

Kaplan keeps the story breezy and brisk, and provides his down-to-earthily modern fairy tale with an appropriately other-worldly visual style. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

David Kaplan's sweet, if superficial, fairy tale won't change the world, but it makes nice use of its setting (Chinatown) and visual style (rotoscope animation). Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh

Has a certain weird charm, but it's too seamy for children and too simplistic played for adults. Read full review

Vadim Rizov

Year of the Fish is the kind of really bad movie it takes a lot of misplaced conviction to make. Read full review

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User Reviews

JerryM

Apr 8, 2009

Awesome. Made me cry.

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magnesium

Mar 27, 2009

Uggh. While it's nice to have an Asian-centric film in American cinema, this film is so chock-full of stereotypes that it was almost too difficult to finish watching. As a Chinese-American myself, I had the feeling that the movie was made by those who did not make an effort to really Uggh. While it's nice to have an Asian-centric film in American cinema, this film is so chock-full of stereotypes that it was almost too difficult to finish watching. As a Chinese-American myself, I had the feeling that the movie was made by those who did not make an effort to really get into the emotional underbelly of the immigrant experience. Also, why choose a sex parlor as a backdrop? I'm sorry if I'm unduly offended, but exactly how many Chinese immigrants these days actually do go into the sex trade? Does this play into the some sort of Western fantasy of Asian female eroticism? This movie would have been more effective if the director chose a wittier, lighter, and less heavy-handed approach. I'm sorry, but not all movies about Asian females have to rehash the same (evil) mother - repressed daughter emotional pathos of The Joy Luck Club (which incidentally made for a terrible one-dimensional movie). Although conceptually interesting , the execution was overly superficial and simplistic.… Expand

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