In the aftermath of a devastating flood that swept the area, a young Yan (Harmonie He) takes to the streets, getting by using whatever means necessary. With no family to help and her father missing, she decides to hang out with the folks in the harbor. An evening by the river takes a sour turn when a foul odor causes those around her to scatter. Yan approaches the source of the ghastly stench, more intrigued than concerned. It’s a boat, manned by the mysterious and rough Old Bo (Jizhong Zhang). The cause of the smell? The corpses on board the vessel. Like an underworld ferryman, Bo seeks out bodies in the water and returns them to their families under the condition of payment. Searching for closure and for the possibility of locating her dad, Yan asks to tag along, not knowing the many truths she will have to confront on the journey ahead.
Bo’s terms are simple. He has three bodies onboard, and every day that Yan spends keeping him company, she will be rewarded by being able to see one. Perhaps it may even be possible to find her lost father nearby. It’s clear from that premise alone that Jean Liu’s short film isn’t playing around with particularly upbeat themes. Rather, it relishes uncertainty and the true toll that death exacts. Yan is never given any guarantees, and neither are we as the audience.
As the duo row further downstream and Yan is adorned with Bo’s makeshift lifejacket of plastic bottles, the true power of Corpse Fishing takes hold. Pip White’s camera meticulously follows along, slowly revealing the dreadful state of the river. Death is in the air and in the water, but the characters, particularly Yan, must learn to live with it. The realization doesn’t force itself; rather, it eases itself on gently, almost invisibly, while keeping Yan’s perspective potent throughout. This becomes especially important when she finally sees how Bo goes about his business with the relatives of the dead. Bo and Yan rarely see eye-to-eye, especially early on, and both He and Zhang evolve this relationship into something beautiful by the very end. He is a capable lead, holding her own in difficult moments where pushed to the brink. Zhang, on the other hand, is compulsively watchable, with his sarcastic, plucky attitude offering levity in times of sorrow.
Corpse Fishing’s tone absolutely matches its somber title, yet writer/director Jean Liu finds value in melancholy, telling a strangely charming story with two unlikely strangers bonded by death.
