Shaun Escayg's directorial debut, “Fish”won “Best short Film” at the Belize International Film
Festival and “Best International Film” at the Malibu International Film
Festival. “Fish” was also an official selection at the 2012 Los Angles International
Short Film Festival(LA Shorts Fest), an Academy qualifying film festival.
FISH
Screened at the 2012 Trinidad
and Tobago Film Festival, short films Fish
by Trinidadian born director Shaun Escayg deal with social
challenges within the region. Shot in Trinidad and Tobago, Fish’s main characters Fish (Marc Escayg)
and Sticky (Carlos Quashie Jr.) are both unemployed youths who loiter at the central
market, picking the pockets of unsuspecting shoppers. Upon his return from a
robbery, Fish sees Puppet (Fabrice Barker), an associate of the underworld
being arrested, and steals a wad of cash from within his (Puppet’s) car. This
decision then leads to them being captured, tortured and the death of Sticky at
the hands of the Surgeon (Anthony Lawrence) the main drug lord. Escayg communicates strong messages through his short film as he does not share a
picture of the scenic islands of the Caribbean but instead produces a region adversely
affected by social challenges.
In highlighting the
social concerns of the island, Escayg's film extracts its subjects from the
socially marginalized. The lead characters are severely
impoverished and have adapted to a life of thievery in order to survive. Fish
and Sticky reside in an abandoned boat house by a bay and with no money for food,
Fish and Sticky’s only meal, after their market robbery failed to produce, was
a pommecythere. The director further uses the
contrasting shots of the city, existing oblivious to those on the margins, to
further impress his characters’ deprived state.The actors all manage
to represent the anguish of the underprivileged. Their frustration is detailed
in the surrendered demeanour of the main characters, whose only concern is
survival by any means necessary. Their choices are not only triggered by greed but by their
desperation and need to survive. Like Sticky says to Fish their goal is “trying
to make sure they [we] eat.”
While portraying
characters who are involved in criminal activities, the director deals fairly
with them by giving a glimpse into the story behind their illicit lifestyle. From
the conversation between Fish and Sticky as they sit in repose after evading police officials at the market, the viewer is able to determine how these youths
fell into a life of crime. He does this to prove that even those on the brinks of
society do dream of a better life. In such instances the otherwise perceived
lawless figures are humanized as their stories prove how easy it is to get
involved with crime.
Fish makes a solid
statement on the hardships of life on the island of Trinidad which lead to the
characters’ current state. In dealing with the problem
of crime on the island, Escayg gives viewers the reality of
the detrimental inevitability these choices. He represents the ripple effects
of being involved in criminal activities. As voiced by the character Fish who
by way of his decision to steal from Surgeon, becomes responsible for the death
of his cousin Sticky: “when you kill somebody, the devil own your soul… you
does spend your whole life trying to buy it back.” Here the director articulates
the unending perils of being a part of the underworld.In unfolding the
complexities of the criminal world, director Shaun Escayg's films also seem
to make the assessment that there are persons who are caught up in minor infringements
who pay the greater consequence. The film portrays the chain of command
operating within the underworld and those who exist there are aware of who
is in change. When Surgeon questions his captives about his stolen cash, beaten
and tortured, Sticky cries “We not that stupid”.
Keeping with this chain of command, in the end it’s the
least harmful are the ones who suffer the most. Although Fish and Sticky are shown as part of the crime problem in the island, their
actions pose no dire threat to their victims. While the ones perpetrate the
more heinous crimes continue to negatively affect their communities.
Also noted is the
inability of the law officials to control the crime situation.
This is especially dealt with in Fish, where
the protagonists are able to skilfully evade the security at the market. Puppet even boastfully declares to the arresting corporal that “in one hour, I back outside” furthermore,
hinting to the law’s lack of power. Most telling of this ineffectiveness occurs
while Puppet is being arrested; Fish manages to steal money from within his
car, unbeknownst to the corporals.
In less than 15 minutes Shaun Escayg discusses elements of
the criminal underworld in the Caribbean of Trinidad. He does not share a picture of the scenic
islands of the Caribbean but instead display a region affected by social
challenges.
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