Imagine an ocean full of water with no fish to eat…until a certain kind of fish washes ashore. That is the world constructed then turned on its grim side by writer and director Jared Watson for his short film, “The Fisherman’s Wife”, playing now on Alter’s YouTube channel.
Have a ton of film ideas floating around in your head? Don’t let them drift away! Submit your own script to the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
An unnamed fisherman stands beside the rusted hull of a small ship staring at the ocean. The wind howls and waves lap at the shore. Surrounded by damp soil and discarded trash, the man treks through the hopeless landscape to feed himself and his daughter. He scavenges for food in what seems like a daily futile search, pulling traps from the water only to find plastic waste and not much else.
The desolate land has suffered an unexplained ecological event, leaving the area barren of fish or fauna. The man trudges down the shore. In the distance, there is an incredible sight.
A mermaid lay on the shore, entangled in netting, struggling to breathe. Her wheezing gasps mingle with the buffering gusts. The man gazes down at her. Will he help or hinder the starving magical creature stranded in this compromised environment?
Or will he do the unthinkable?
What Lies Underneath
“The Fisherman’s Wife” is a cascade of visual dread and emotional stillness. Director and writer Jared Watson highlights the terror found in the isolation he nurtures throughout the film of a world maimed by a catastrophic event. A world left bereft of sustenance and human life or connection in the wake of this unknown impact.
Watson mines this minimalist setting and infuses it with a certain amount of realism that immerses the viewer in this near future hellscape. This film luxuriates in the proverbial calm before the storm and keeps the viewer wide-eyed when the mermaid appears and beyond.
What Makes It Killer
The viewer is invited to soak in the bleak surroundings through ‘The Fisherman’ played with excellent restraint by T. Ryder Smith and through the emotionally resigned ‘Daughter’ (with a hell of a one liner at the end) played by Kelsey Carthew. Caitlin Beth Riley’s turn as ‘The Mermaid’ embodies the innocence of the mythical, sea-dwelling creature. Her portrayal of utter distress through facial expressions, gasps, and woeful stares is heartbreaking and her final fate horrifying.
The stark landscape and muted sepia tones haunt the film. The soundscape is unbearably beautiful and serene like an ASMR wet dream. The sounds of the sea are the only ambient noise except for three lines of dialogue. Watson creates a stunningly visual post-apocalyptic world layered with all the grimness you would expect from such a place.
Watch it below.
Writer & Director: Jared Watson
Producers: Jess Vogel & Michelle Beck
Director of Photography: Liza Gipsova
Cast:
T. Ryder Smith as The Fisherman
Kelsey Carthew as The Daughter
Caitlin Beth Riley as The Mermaid
Production Designer: Dani Clementi
Special Effects Makeup Design: Beatrice Sniper
Mermaid Costume Design: CJ Dockery
Mermaid Tail Fabricator: Jared Watson
Hair and Makeup Design: Rashad Taylor
Art Assistant: Maria Luisa Portuondo
Gaffer: Evan Wilkins
Key Grip: Rafael Chinca
Focus Puller: Brea Kerzee
Location Sound Mixers: Pablo Diez Casajuana & Alejandro Guanche
Color and VFX by Color Department
Colorist: Aleks Verholak
VFX: Sergio Mishchenko
Color Producer: Julia Fruktenbein
