#REVIEW: “THE BOY WHO SMELLS LIKE FISH”

Review by Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong

The Boy Who Smells Like Fish is the sort of title that evokes snickers. Silly little fits of laughter arise at the idea of a Movie about a stinky boy. The morally elect members of Society may want to chastise the peanut gallery for their insensitive response, but where’s the fun in that?

Fun abounds in The Boy Who Smells Like Fish… laughter too. It’s a self-explanatory Film in part: it’s about a boy born smelling like a flounder.  But it’s also about so much more. Douglas Smith (Big Love) plays the Title Character, Mica. Mica is raised by his Mother in a museum dedicated to a Mexican Pop Star. Odd from the start Mica finds life to be lonely… and in time it grows lonelier still.

Abandonment, death, and heartache greet Mica at every corner. He suffers, he hurts, and he wonders whether or not he’ll ever get through, over, and above it. But soon enough he meets a girl, and the wonder shifts its focus towards her effervescent existence.

Laura, played by Zoë Kravitz, slowly wins Mica over with her subtle charms and obvious beauty. But like Mica she seeks to hide her insecurities, and in time the lies catch up to her. The drama that unfolds is as adorable as it is enlightening. Life at times is tough, but it wouldn’t be life if it wasn’t. Some of us are born with problems that will never go away. All of us will have someone taken from us that we wish could have stayed. We will love and be betrayed; we will feel pain beyond compare. But we will also laugh, and smile, and find people in our lives that care. People, who we can share with, grow with, shake our bums and dance with. It’s these people, this love that makes the hardships worth it. The Boy Who Smells Like Fish is a Film that discusses this idea as life’s purpose.

It’s without question worth a watch. You’re bound to giggle at the boy, ogle at the girl, smile at their love, and be grateful for your own.  The Boy Who Smells Like Fish premieres on Saturday, November 1, 2014 on The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) at 7:25 p.m. EST and Movie Central (Western Canada) at 7 p.m. MT.