El Pez que Fuma (1977)

Original title

El pez que fuma

Directed by

Román Chalbaud

Genre

comedy drama

Country

Venezuela

Runtime

2h

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 14 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The film takes place in a brothel in La Guaira, Venezuela. It follows the lives of the people who work there, reflecting the social realities of poverty and crime. The story is a character-driven melodrama with symbolic music.

character-drivenmelodramaticsocially awareearthysymbolicperiod flavorbittersweetraw

What happens

The Smoking Fish (Spanish: El pez que fuma) is a 1977 Venezuelan film directed by Román Chalbaud. The film takes place in La Guaira, in the titular brothel. It is considered by many to represent a high point in Venezuelan cinema, and was made during the Golden Age of Venezuelan cinema. The story reflects the social reality of Venezuela; it features the poverty and crime but does not make them the centre of the story. It also uses its score as symbolism, something considered novel. Chalbaud describes it as a very character-driven film, and it is structured as a traditional melodrama. In 2016, the film was screened for its 40th anniversary at Cinemateca Nacional de Venezuela del Museo de Bellas Artes. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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