HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! In Jean Liu’s short film Corpse Fishing, Yan (Harmonie He) is a very young woman, alone in life after her father goes missing. She earns a living running a beach karaoke night, but her business is closed early when a boat arrives reeking with the stench of death.
The boat is run by Old Bo (Jizhong Zhang), who does the job that nobody wants to do: pull dead bodies out of the local river. Curious about Bo’s business, Yan wants to see if any of the bodies Bo is carrying are her missing father. The problem is that Bo charges too much money for Yan to sneak a peek, and even more, if her father happens to be in the bunch. As a barter, Yan offers to help Bo with his job.

“…her business is closed early when a boat arrives reeking with the stench of death.”
The most fascinating part of Corpse Fishing is the juxtaposition writer/director Jean Liu creates. She sets the need for the grieving to find closure against the morbid business of fishing for dead bodies. What Liu does so well in Corpse Fishing is to maintain a subtle tension in the background. Why fish for corpses? Because someone has to. Why charge for a view? Because dead bodies won’t pay the fees.
Liu also explores the themes of closure in dealing with grief and loss. When a loved one is missing, we feel stuck in life, unable to move forward until they return…one way or another. When that loved one “returns,” there is a cathartic release of emotion…one way or another. Ultimately, Liu transforms the somber reality of death into an uplifting human narrative.
Corpse Fishing screened at the 2024 Hollyshorts Film Festival.