First, let’s give a little introduction. Since March 2017 a team of four young and motivated people are working on an animated 3d short, which is called Fish for Life. The story is based on the novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. The goal is to bring the old classic into a new context.
It’s a common situation taken from life: people reach a point where they can not go any further. They are digging themselves into an incredibly heavy burden position just to reach an impossible goal. The initial stubbornness becomes obsessive and pushes people to their limits. The animated film Fish for Life picks up on this problem, which is anchored in society.
The Story
Fish for Life tells the story of Manolin, an outdated fisherman who lives in Norway. He has not caught anything for weeks. Manolin lives for his work. Unfortunately, he can no longer keep up with the new technology and also rejects it strictly.
Then one day he reached the point, where he leaves the safe harbor and set out to the open sea. He desperately wants to get his big catch. Far away from home, in unknown waters, the first fish finally bites. Surprisingly the creature is so strong that it pulls the old fisherman’s boat with him. Manolin gets into a terrible storm. But the fisherman tends not to be able to let go and forgets everything around him.
The fight for the fish becomes a fight for survival in the end.