An intense family drama with spiritual implications
Sometimes when things go wrong for a family, they go really wrong. That’s the case in Fishbowl, a debut film by a sister/brother team that explores the intersection of tragedy, faith, and family bonds.
Alexa and Stephen Kinigopoulos have made successful careers in photography and music videos respectively, and with Fishbowl, they’ve put these skills to work in service of a story that hits very close to home, literally. Combining forces with screenwriter Piero Iberti, the pair shot in and around their hometown in Maryland, a familiarity that jumps off the screen.
Fishbowl revolves around a family who finds itself without its matriarch, as father Rick (Rick Kain) and daughters Jessa (Caroline Coleman), Rachel (Emily Peachey), and Belle (Belle Shickle) come to grips with their new reality.
The idea for the project came when a photo session turned into an impromptu short film. From there, this “do it yourself” project took off. The team had previously worked together on television projects in New Orleans and got to know executive producer George Pelecanos (The Wire, The Deuce) who helped get even more people on board.
The girls are the heart of the story, and they more than hold their own. Belle’s subdued ferocity pushes the action forward, while Rachel just wants to please her father. Jessa is on the young side of young and achingly silent throughout.
But it’s the father that is the most tortured figure, latching on to the eschatological pyramid scheme of a televangelist that promises salvation before the world soon ends. The girls bear the brunt of this exercise, but they all suffer.
Beautifully shot and full of hard questions about meaning and relationships, Fishbowl is a first-time film with real depth. The answers aren’t ever easy, but they are always worth asking.
The Austin Film Festival celebrates the art of storytelling through film, recognizing the writer as the core of the creative process in filmmaking.
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