The film begins with an airplane and ends with an airplane. It starts with a fish and ends with a fish.

Director Chen Yusha is an emerging young filmmaker from China who initially started her career as an actress but later transitioned into directing. She previously directed the short films The Woman (2017) and Strawberry Nights (2019), and her feature film debut, Frankenfish by the River (2022), has already gained recognition in several prestigious selections:

- Nominated for the FIRST INDUSTRY SCREENING OFFICIAL SELECTION - FIRST2022 (WIP)

- Nominated for the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum · HAF20 (WIP)

- Nominated for the 2022 Far East Film Festival (WIP)

Now, Frankenfish by the River has been selected as one of the eight finalists in the C-Films in Focus Feature Film Competition at the Mint Chinese Film Festival 2025. Here is my critical review of the film.

The film begins with an airplane and ends with an airplane. It starts with a fish and ends with a fish.

Many readers interpret Alexander Pushkin’s famous tale The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish as a warning about greed and its consequences. However, when I first heard this story as a child, I perceived it differently: I felt that the golden fish was not just a magical creature—it was, in fact, a human being. More specifically, the fisherman’s alter ego, his reflection, his essence. And in the end, after exhausting all its strength, the fish tries to escape rather than revealing its true nature to an unempathetic wife.

This was exactly the kind of feeling I had while watching Frankenfish by the River.

The film captures a transitional phase of life—beyond adolescence but not yet fully immersed in one’s thirties. A time when one desires success in everything yet also wants to hold onto the past. A time of accepting fate and identity. A time of loneliness, craving love and understanding. Of course, these emotions can occur at any stage in life, but they arrive at different times for each person.

It seems that the director aims to express this through three different love stories, three different life circumstances, three different emotions—yet all bound by the same feeling of despair among friends.

Through the characters Jiajia, Ling, and Youwei, the film asks the audience:

“Have you ever felt this way?”

“If so, why?”

“When did you start feeling it?”

Synopsis:

After catching her boyfriend cheating, Liu Jiajia, a disheartened actress, returns to her hometown. Meanwhile, Ling and Youwei once shared a kiss, but Ling acts as if it never happened. Feeling lost and melancholic, Youwei meets a woman named Miss A on a dating app and falls in love. Their friendships begin to drift apart, leaving each character to confront their struggles alone.

Much like real life, this kind of situation forces us to deal with our problems independently. In doing so, we discover our mistakes, aspirations, and understanding of life.

In Mongolian contemporary literature, there is a short story by Luvsandorj Ulziitugs titled “Aquarium”. It tells the tale of a person who transforms into a golden fish and observes their family—only to realize that all their lifelong memories were just their own, not necessarily shared by others. Similarly, at the beginning of Frankenfish by the River, there is a line stating:

“Goldfish is the most pitiful pet in the world.”

Immediately after this, a scene takes place in a glass room, resembling an aquarium. This visual representation suggests that Jiajia feels like a fish trapped in her own memories.

Like Buddha’s words, the film seems to remind us:

“If you resist the flow of the river, you will lose. But if you surrender to it, you will win.”

Character Breakdown

- Ling lives in France. Her love is different from the others. She wants to overcome the contradictions in her emotions. She wants to be understood. This desire sends her on a search for meaning in her life, making her time back home during her vacation feel urgent and fleeting. As a viewer, I found her character inspiring.

- Youwei dreams of moving to New Zealand, but due to personal reasons, his plans fall apart. He later finds out that the girl he loves is in love with someone else. This forces him to search for love again. As he struggles to connect with his two closest friends, he fails to express himself fully. Only after he accepts his true self does he find the strength to move forward.

Technical and Artistic Execution

The film metaphorically expresses emotions through various cinematic techniques:

- Some scenes are animated, creating a surreal contrast with reality.

- Certain sequences are in black and white, while others use asymmetrical camera angles to reflect the character’s inner struggles.

- The use of experimental and fantasy enhances the film’s dreamlike quality.

- The cinematography relies heavily on lighting, particularly in dark scenes where focus is maintained without losing clarity.

- The soundtrack is light and warm, resonating with the emotions of youth—even when they experience failure. This makes it a perfect match for the film’s mixed visual style.

For those who enjoyed the 2004 Japanese film The Taste of Tea by Katsuhito Ishii, this film may appeal to you, as it offers a similar Eastern perspective but from a female filmmaker’s viewpoint.

Final Rating: 6.8/10

One drawback is that the transition from animation to action scenes and the blend of magical realism can be slightly difficult to grasp at times. Furthermore, I believe that the acting in the opening scenes and the characters’ dialogue felt unclear due to cultural differences. This factor influenced my rating, so I encourage viewers not to judge the film superficially based solely on its score.