Pescador

To begin with, just explaining that ''Pescador'' is a Spanish and Portuguese that means ''fisherman'' or ''angler''. This feature drama will be making its European premiere at Raindance on the 18th of June and is written and directed by Harry Domenico Rossi and it stars Alex Wanebo, Spencer Bang and Mario Chacon.

The screenplay has an interesting structure. The film is separated into three chapters and the plot involves two young American siblings (Wanebo and Bang) who are in Costa Rica. The film begins with the sister, Katie, a marine biologist, as she travels through the country via a variety of ways, in search of a unique kind of fish. Approximately halfway through, things change completely (and turn towards the supernatural) as the film moves to another story with new characters, one being a solitary fisherman (Chacon) who encounters a magical lobster who grants his wish of having a son, who is delivered to him in a bad state while he is fishing in the ocean. The young man is actually Katie's brother, who she has not seen in years.

This film basically consists of two stories, each with its own characters and themes and combining them makes this slow-paced feature a road movie and a father-and-son relationship story. The road movie definition applies to the section involving the sister as she navigates Costa Rica and has meaningful encounters with a variety of people, including drivers, a group of travellers, the owner of a restaurant and a married couple. Some of her encounters go well, others end in confrontation. In the father-and-son part, (which has significantly less dialogue) the fisherman brings the youth to his home, helps him recover from his injuries and repeatedly tries to make him stay with him and let him teach him the art of fishing. Although initially resistant, the rescued youngster gradually warms up to his ''father'' and the two of them build a positive rapport between them, which is the main focus of this story.

Rossi directs terrifically, choosing to develop several well-executed long takes and creating many wonderful shots that reveal beautiful landscapes, all of which have the privilege of being supported by Isaac Banks's cinematography. Composer Dylan Marx makes a great contribution with music that sounds tropical.

As the central character of the first story (or perhaps the first chapter), Katie is a woman on a mission. Highly knowledgeable in her field and often writing her thoughts in a notebook, she embarks on an adventure to find a kind of fish that is apparently undiscovered yet, like something out of a fairy tale. As for Bang and Chacon, since there are almost no spoken words between these two, they interact with each other in other ways, which end up being gentle or tense. Chacon comes across as peaceful and quiet as a seasoned fisherman who longs for a son who he can teach the ways of his profession. Bang's character pretty much appears out of nowhere, a broken man who turns from an aggressive man repeatedly trying to escape into a loving son.

This film goes through a great deal of themes. Taking under consideration the events in the story about the sister, themes involving travelling, marine biology, meeting people and pursuing a goal are examined. In the part about the brother and the fisherman, it is the desire to have a child, the complications involing father-and-son issues, the life of a fisherman, support and regrets that are explored.

A feature with two different but related stories. Strong performances, methodical directing and interesting music are the main strengths. Overall, the pace is slow and the focus is directed primarily on character exploration instead of storytelling. A viewing that more than anything aims to be philosophical.