The Last Goldfish

"The Last Goldfish" is a profound, intricate, and moving documentary directed by and starring Su Goldfish. Released in 2017, this captivating cinematic endeavor primarily orbits the personal journey of Su as she unfolds the secret layers of her family history, revealing a complex web of memories, hardship, and resilience shaped by the unforgiving tides of history. The movie serves as an exploration of identity, displacement, and the unseen bonds that keep families together through unspeakable adversity.

The narrative kicks off with Su Goldfish's life in Australia. She is a well-established artist and filmmaker, but she continues to wrestle with questions about her family's past. Su discovers that her father, Manfred Goldfish, had concealed his Jewish heritage and immense family losses during the Holocaust. This revelation plunges her into an emotional quest to uncover her family's hidden history and understand her father's reasons for suppressing it, taking viewers through a deeply personal journey spanning continents and decades.

On this journey, Su delves into intricate questions about identity, family bonds, love, loss, and the powerful force of history. You feel her determination as she painstakingly traces her family's footsteps through dramatic shifts in geography, from Germany through Trinidad to Australia, and traumatic shifts in history, particularly World War II and the Holocaust.

A significant portion of "The Last Goldfish" is taken up by the period footage from various stages of Su’s family history. Rare home movies, archival footage and photos, interviews, and narration by Su herself breathe life into the poignant story of the Goldfish family. This blend of historical retrospection and personal interjection gives the narrative a beautiful rhythm, seamlessly interweaving past and present, personal and political.

There is a deep emotional intensity that follows the film throughout its narrative. Su does not shy away from capturing raw human emotions or displaying her own vulnerability as she uncovers painful truths during her relentless search for her lost family. Yet, amid the backdrop of such profound tragedy and loss, the movie finds hope and resilience in human connection and the power of identity discovery.

One of the themes that “The Last Goldfish” explicitly explores is the idea of displacement. It grapples with what it means to be an exile, to have your identity forever modified by forces beyond your control, and to build a life in unfamiliar terrains. More importantly, it suggests that identity isn't a singular, fixed concept, but rather a complex collage of memories, cultural heritage, familial bonds, and personal experiences.

But at its heart, "The Last Goldfish" is a film about the enduring bonds of family. It is a touching tribute to Su's father, Manfred, as much as it is a homage to their family lineage. Threads of love, loss, and forgiveness are woven carefully into every aspect of the film, highlighting the importance of remembering and learning from history.

The film's beautiful cinematography and compelling storytelling elevate its narrative to a captivating experience for the viewers. The complexity of the subject matter - the interweaving of personal and collective history, the weight of the past on the present, and the search for identity - is approached with remarkable sensitivity. It is clear that Su Goldfish has poured her heart into this endeavor, translating her personal journey into a universally relatable exploration of identity and human resilience.

"The Last Goldfish" is more than a documentary or a historical exploration; it is a heartfelt testament to the endurance of love and family ties amidst the turmoil of history. Su Goldfish's quest to unearth her family's hidden past may be uniquely her own, but the emotional and intellectual journey she undertakes speaks to us all. It prompts us to reflect on the nature of history, the weight of our heritage, and the enduring power of familial bonds.

This film truly stands as a captivating record of a personal journey into the past, underlining the importance of remembrance and the inextricable ties we have to our roots. "The Last Goldfish" resounds as a deeply personal, yet universally poignant, exploration of the resilient human spirit and the unyielding bonds of family, that are often forged in adversity and remain unconquerable by time or distance.