Luzzu

Old wine in new jugs. With the advent of globalization and modernization, many ancient ways of life have been forced to die out, sadly but inexorably. The author leaves behind a possible answer: if these relics are the same "Ship of Theseus", then they can be eternal.

It's quite a good drama, which, although gripping, reveals the main character's severe internal conflict.

The protagonist is a man named Zhesmark, a fisherman in his generation. The favorite occupation does not bring a high income, and the funds are not even enough for basic needs. And there is also a family - a woman and a small son, in whom doctors suspect a disease. A difficult life situation leads to tectonic shifts in his worldview.

The central character steps over himself, his beliefs and moral principles in order to earn the money needed for the family. He takes on any job, leaves his comfort zone and ends up where he shouldn't have gone.

Everything here works very well. Yes, the lead actor, in my humble opinion, is not too emotional and could have played better. Others simply did their job well.

The creative team managed to reveal the plot, convey the atmosphere of a society with canons and an ancient craft, which cannot adapt to modern realities and is doomed to decline.

Conclusion. Of course, this is a festival movie that not everyone will like. But it is really worth watching it once.

This was a well acted and beautifully shot film. The story is a slow burn about a man who came from a long line of fisherman in a changing economy where his trade is quickly dying off. The protagonist is faced with many existential questions about his life, how to provide for his family, fairness, and ultimately his role in a changing world. While the film can come off as very slow, I felt the ending really made the story feel quite important.

A man attempts to keep up the family tradition of fishing with a small wooden boat. Malta makes a stunning setting for the story. The EU has made it almost impossible for the small time fishermen to make a living. The underground economy is a dark and sad commentary on globalization. The cast is excellent and Luzzu is one of the best films of the year.

LUZZU 2021 (BBCIPlayer) This is the first film I've ever seen (to my knowledge) filmed in and made on Malta.

In an interesting twist on EU fishing quotas. Coming from Kingston upon Hull, home of the largest fishing industry in the 1960s, long since decimated by restrictions and quotas by the EU

In this film Jesmark, a fisherman like his father before him, is struggling with lack of fish and too many restriction. The tag line is "A man risks everything to provide for his wife and newborn son by entering Malta's black-market fishing industry"

Fighting his guilt of having to change his ancestry we have a dilemma, whilst the expectations of his wife and her aspirational family put strain on their relationship and his friendships with other fisherman.

Does he decommission his boat and take EU compensation like so many others.

Overall its a good film, the story is slight, but the setting and its origins make it a worthy 6/10.