Go Fish (film)
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''Go Fish'' is a 1994 American
comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film written by Guinevere Turner and
Rose Troche Rose Troche (; ; born 1964) is an American film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and education Troche was born to Puerto Rican parents and grew up on the north side of Chicago. In an interview she stated ...
and directed by Rose Troche. It premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
in 1994, and was the first film to be sold to a distributor, Samuel Goldwyn, during that event for $450,000. The film was released during
Pride Month Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBTQ Pride Month, is a List of month-long observances, month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender a ...
in June 1994 and eventually grossed $2.5 million. The film was seen as groundbreaking for celebrating lesbian culture on all levels, and it launched the career of director Troche and Turner. ''Go Fish'' is said to have proved the marketability of lesbian issues for the film industry.


Plot

Max is a young lesbian college student in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
who has gone ten months without having sex. She and her roommate and college professor Kia are in a coffee shop when they run into Ely, a
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
ish woman with long braided hair, whom Max initially dismisses. Max and Ely end up going to a film together, and afterward return to Ely's place, where, after some flirtatious conversation, they kiss. They are interrupted by a phone call from Ely's partner Kate, with whom Ely has been in a long-distance relationship for more than two years, which puts a bit of a damper on things. Ely decides to cut her hair into a very short butch style. At a bookstore, she meets Max, who barely recognizes her. Kia's girlfriend Evy returns to her family's home to find her ex-husband Junior there and be confronted by her mother, who tells her that Junior told her he spotted Evy at a gay bar. Evy's mother throws her out, and Evy flees to Kia's place, where Max invites her to live with them. Ely and her roommate Daria throw a dinner party and, after a spirited game of I Never, Max and Ely reconnect. After making plans to go out again, they kiss. Over the course of several phone conversations, Ely reveals that she's "sort of broken up" with Kate. They meet for a second date, but they make it out of the apartment; Max ends up trimming Ely's fingernails, which turns into
foreplay Foreplay is a set of emotionally and physically intimate acts between one or more people meant to create sexual arousal and desire for sexual activity. Although foreplay is typically understood as physical sexual activity, nonphysical activiti ...
before they have sex. Intercut with the closing credits are shots and short scenes of Max and Ely's burgeoning relationship.


Themes


Queer Identity and Community

Go Fish has a theme of lesbian identity and community firmly taking place in the context of 1990's Chicago. This film is categorized as being part of the New Queer Cinema, a term in which B. Rudy Rich described as having an element of rejection of stereotypical or tragic portrayals of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Go Fish celebrates queer relationships and community in everyday settings, making an emphasis to show the mundane and how members of this community of are living their lives. The films black and white and low budget aesthetic furthers this idea of it being a raw and unfiltered portrayal of this community. It takes on almost an episodic structure shows dialogue between close knit groups of lesbian friends and focusing on love and acceptance in a supporting community place. Go Fish actively avoids framing lesbian life through a heterosexual lens and portrays characters who have real struggles and real aspirations, underlining the authenticity of the film. The group of friends in the film who engage in matchmaking and offer advice to Max throughout the film showcases how the lesbian community acts as her chosen family as well as a social and moral anchor for her. Developed amidst the AIDS crisis, Go Fish brought voices to marginalized voices, celebrating love and solidarity as a response to societal exclusion. Director Rose Troche described it as an "antidote to despair," highlighting how the film's joyous portrayal of community offered an alternative to the bleak landscape for LGBTQ+ people in cinema at the time. Filmmaker Magazine details the behind-the-scenes dynamic as a DIY, community-driven process. Director Rose Troche and co-writer/actress Guinevere Turner collaborated closely with friends, casting local acquaintances and filming in everyday locations, which allowed the narrative to feel rooted in reality and accessible to a broader audience. This communal production process, as noted by Troche, aligned with the film's themes of solidarity and self-acceptance, as well as the feminist undertones of giving space to queer women's voices in film. By focusing on the lives, love, and friendships of lesbian women, Go Fish broke new ground in queer cinema, making it a significant cultural marker in LGBTQ+ representation and visibility.


Cast

* Guinevere Turner as Camille 'Max' West * V.S. Brodie as Ely * T. Wendy McMillan as Kia * Anastasia Sharp as Daria * Migdalia Melendez as Evy * Scout as Hairdresser * Dave Troche as Junior


Production

Rose Troche Rose Troche (; ; born 1964) is an American film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and education Troche was born to Puerto Rican parents and grew up on the north side of Chicago. In an interview she stated ...
and Guinevere Turner read B. Ruby Rich's article "New Queer Cinema" in ''
Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...
'' and were inspired to contact Christine Vachon for production support. The script was written collaboratively between Troche and Turner and the film took about three years to finish. Prior to writing the film, the pair had worked on projects for
ACT UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...
Chicago. Actors for the film were friends, people spotted around town, or volunteers pulled from open casting calls.


Reception

'' Variety'' summarized it as "a fresh, hip comedy about contemporary lifestyles within the lesbian community. Theatrical prospects are excellent for an all-female picture that is sharply observed, visually audacious and full of surprising charms". The ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' commented that "Troche brings an engagingly light touch to material that ranges from negotiating girl bars to maintaining friendships". '' IndieWire'' ranked it in 5th place on its list of the 15 Greatest Lesbian Movies of All Time. Rita Kempley of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' wrote "''Go Fish'' hasn't got an agenda unless it's that girls just gotta have fun". Melissa Pierson of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave the film a "B+", explaining her reasoning by writing that "In matters of both sex and artistic license, this is a rental to make you say, "Vive la difference"".


Awards and nominations

*
Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
Teddy Award winner for Best Feature Film (1994) *
Deauville Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then Mayor of Deauville Michel d ...
Audience Award winner and Critics Award nomination for Rose Troche (1994) *
GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...
winner for Best Feature (1995) * Gotham Awards Open Palm Award for Rose Troche (1994) *
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
nomination for Best Supporting Female for V. S. Brodie (1995) * Political Film Society Award for Human Rights nomination (1995) *
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
Grand Jury Prize nomination (1994)


See also

*
List of LGBT-related films directed by women This is a list of lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-related films that were directed by women. LGBTQ-themed films directed by women – especially, but not exclusively, lesbian-themed movies – are an important and distinct s ...
*
List of lesbian filmmakers This is a list of lesbian filmmakers. The names listed include directors, producers, and screenwriters of feature films, Television film, television movies, Documentary film, documentaries and short films; and have received coverage or been recog ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Go Fish (Film) 1994 independent films 1994 films 1994 LGBTQ-related films 1994 romantic comedy-drama films 1990s feminist films American black-and-white films American independent films American romantic comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films American LGBTQ-related films Lesbian-related films Killer Films films The Samuel Goldwyn Company films Films set in Chicago LGBTQ-related romantic comedy-drama films 1994 directorial debut films 1990s American films English-language independent films English-language romantic comedy-drama films LGBTQ-related independent films