No Shark

I consider myself to be a film buff and when I compare myself to my peers, I can see that my cinematic taste is much more eclectic. While most people are happy to watch the latest Doctor Strange, I'd rather give 4 hours of my life to see an offbeat Japanese auteur film like Love Exposure. Which brings me to how I found this gem, No Shark. I was browsing the nifty 'browse movies by genre' section of IMDb when I came across this title in the horror/comedy section. I was immediately drawn in by the synopsis and began searching for it online. I had almost given up hope when I found that the entire film is available to stream for free on YouTube (thanks Cody). This movie is like a breath of fresh air and it worked on every level for me. I will be watching it again for sure, possibly with friends so that we can talk about it later. *****

I'll start out by saying this is definitely one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. On its surface it's about a woman who goes place to place looking for sharks, as she wants to be eaten by one.

But if you dig beneath the silly veneer, it's actually a nice, introspective movie. The entire movie is little more than a woman sitting(or standing) silently at a beach. But the entire time we get to hear her inner thoughts. Thoughts about life, thoughts about things, and lots of judging people but also curious about them. It felt so relatable, like a movie of watching someone's inner thoughts read aloud.

This movie definitely isn't for everyone, but I loved it.

You never see it, but it's always there, waiting to swallow you up. Embrace it, love it, and be one for it. Demons are inside us all, evil lingers just beyond our reach. No Shark is a hidden gem, a dark comedy that portrays different sides of human inner thoughts with underlying messages. The look of the film is genius and the writing is worth the price of your time alone. Free will, control, and power are all seen from the POV of Chase, played by, Jules Roscoe, the main character.

Beautiful locations, using beaches on the east coast, and beautiful people keep another form of interest. This movie tackles a philosophical point of view from the inner thoughts of Chase as it moves through her journey to fulfill her desire. She is honest and confrontational in a subtle way. Cody Clarke does everything with calculated subtly. He has a quick wit, is clever beyond his time, and has a mind that is constantly spinning.

If you want something different, smart, and beautiful, check out No Shark.