Go Fish

Stream HERE!

Our next Rialto Recommends is the arthouse classic GO FISH from 1995. The selling of GO FISH to distributor The Samuel Goldwyn Company was memorably profiled in film sales rep John Pierson's book "Spike Mike Slackers and Dykes" about taking both GO FISH and Clerks to the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. This hit arthouse ensemble piece traces the romantic and political ups and downs of a group of multicultural Chicago lesbians. The central story involves an unlikely romance between Max (Guinevere Turner), a hip young babe, and Ely (V.S. Brodie), a slightly older woman involved in a long-term, long-distance relationship that's basically a smokescreen for her fear of romantic risk. Filmed in black and white on-location in Chicago, Go Fish features a number of non-standard narrative devices, most notably the Greek chorus, or "jury," of lesbians who comment on not only the plot, but also the political and social ramifications thereof. Shown in competition at Sundance in 1994, GO FISH went on to earn critical and commercial success and establish the careers of director Rose Troche and actress Turner, who together co-wrote and co-produced the picture. Newsweek said "Go Fish is a blithe and funkily stylish celebration of community -- a twentysomething girl-meets-girl comedy whose charm is in its matter-of-fact disregard for what a straight audience might think." While the Austin Chronicle wrote "Using beautiful black-and-white camera work and stimulating narrative techniques, the movie instructs us how to fish or cut bait, while not closing ourselves off to new opportunities." GO FISH is streaming on Amazon Prime and PlutoTV or is available for a very modest rental fee from Amazon HERE.