Three Days of Fish

By Peter Hoogendoorn

Synopsis

While living abroad with his second wife, 65-year-old Gerrie returns to Rotterdam for his annual health check-ups. There, he meets with his son, 45-year-old Dick, who yearns for quality time that his father stubbornly avoids.
Calling upon the titular proverb that familial peace is best kept with short visits, “Three Days of Fish” is a dry-witted chronicle of a father and son as they unravel a remarkable but complex connection. During their brief time together, Gerrie and Dick’s whimsical but combustible communication comes in unspoken efforts for affection, ultimately offering a glimpse into the dynamics of an intricate bond between two socially inept men, constantly “fishing” for each other’s love.

“A Warm Breeze of Melancholy Runs Through This Dutch Father-Son Portrait” 

“If Alexander Payne’s home discomforts weren’t Nebraskan
but instead the soft climate and flat sidewalks of Rotterdam 
if his name were Alexander Peijn, perhaps his films might turn out  
a little like Peter Hoogendoorn’s hangdog charmer “Three Fays of Fish.” 

“At once universally familiar […] this story of a brief,  
fraught reunion between a distant father and his unmoored son is an  
intimate, closely examined character piece”

Variety

“A wry, tender, tragicomic gem.”
“Finding both deadpan humour and inconsolable sadness
in family tensions that will feel painfully relatable
to many viewers, writer-director Peter Hoogendoorn’s
semi-autobiographical second feature calls to mind
the bittersweet emotional terrain of Alexander Payne.”

The Film Verdict

“Hits the bull’s eye as it portrays a complex interaction
between a father and son in a profound, universal manner
to which everyone can relate,”

Cineuropa

4/5 stars
“A deadpan comedy with a lot of heart.”
“Hoogendoorn crafts a father-son dynamic that thrives
in dry humour but offers a lot in terms of sympathy.”

Eye for Film

“A stirring picture of male vulnerability.”

“The tacit acknowledgement that father and son want
to embrace one another is enough to make you want to
immediately call your dad or your child rendering
“Three Days of Fish” a nourishing familial meal.”

Roger Ebert  

“A minimalist gem shot in black and white
with exquisite photography by Gregg Telussa.”
“…such simplicity and rawness, without resorting to
sentimentality, is Hoogendoorn’s great achievement.”

El Hype

Info

Drama / Comedy
2024 – The Netherlands
84 mins

Directed by: Peter Hoogendoorn
Written by: Peter Hoogendoorn
Produced by: Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film
Co-produced by: A Private View, NTR
Producers: Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Swart
Co-producers: Dries Phlypo, Marina Blok

Festivals

Karlovy Vary IFF | Main Competition (World Premiere)
– Best Actor Award for Ton Kas and Guido Pollemans

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