A documentary about the intertwined lives of two fishermen, 'Against the Tide' paints a picture of how climate change and globalised corporate greed affects the contrasting fishing practices of two friends - Rakesh and Ganesh - in Mumbai, India.
These young men belong to the traditional Koli fishing community, who are one of the few original inhabitants of the city. With his ancestral and sustainable fishing practices, Rakesh struggles to provide a decent life to his family. On the other hand, his friend Ganesh is a prosperous fisherman engaged in deep-sea fishing using modern technology, employing large vessels and crew. Although Ganesh encourages Rakesh to change his fishing style from shallow waters to deep sea, the latter is a firm believer in his modest subsistence fishing style.
The camera follows the friends and shares their conversations that reveal the economic and social gap between them. Despite their apparent contrasting lifestyles and fishing methods, both are deeply affected by the dwindling fish stocks thanks to climate change and human greed. Towards the latter half of the film, the audience learn that both the men are at the mercy of the same depleted sea. Rakesh is forced to sell his boat, and Ganesh is faced with a mounting debt to support the unviable fishing operations.
Apart from Rakesh's mother, there is hardly any vocal female who shares the concerns of the film's messages. It would have been better had there been more insights from other women. Their role revolves mostly around as guardians of their stories, rituals, songs, dances and social bonds. Also, at times the domestic narratives of the two friends and their inter-personal drama seem to overshadow the environmental and economic messages of the core topic.
A highly watchable film with commendable direction, cinematography and editing, 'Against the Tide' carries strong messages of overfishing, climate change and threatened unsustainable traditional occupations in the face of globalised economical activities across the oceans.
