Lipari

Frank van den Engel has created a documentary for the ears as well as the eyes in this exploration of the lives of fisherman looking for swordfish. We hear the creak of the boat before we see it, the sound placing us firmly on board with the crew as the splash of the waves being broken by the hull and the rattle of the rigging are the only thing occupying the silence.

The men sit in silence, watching and waiting for the moment when the battle with the fish begins. Given it’s unfussy and evocative start, then it is a shame then that Engel then opts to get clever, using grainier film stock and additional music in places that seems unnecessary and somehow shatters the mood. Grumbles aside, his camera captures the nuances of this life well, from the stillness of the men as they look for the fish to the dying breath of the animal as it pants on the deck.