NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM
2024 – DCP – b/n – 85’

Direction: Peter Hoogendoorn

Screenplay: Peter Hoogendoorn

Cinematography: Gregg Telussa NSC

Editing: Annelotte Medema NCE

Set design: Hanneke Wind

Original music: Christiaan Verbeek

Costumes: Manon Blom

Cast: Ton Kas (Gerrie), Guido Pollemans (Dick), Line Pillet (Bianca), Neidi Dos Santos Livramento (Nadia), Adison Dos Reis (Carlos), Peter Bolhuis (zio uncle Piet), Loes Schnepper (Tiny), Bianca Krijgsman (Eline), Joop Kasteel (Sjaak)

Producers: Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Swart

Production: Circe Films (Nl), Kaap Holland Film (Nl) in coproduzione con in coproduction with A Private View (Be), NTR (Nl)

World Sales: Heretic

Synopsis

While living abroad with his second wife, Gerrie returns to Rotterdam for his annual health check-ups. There, he meets with his son, 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.

The director: PETER HOOGENDOORN

Peter Hoogendoorn (1979, the Netherlands) studied at the Dutch Academy for Film and Television. His short graduation film, Wes (2009), based on his childhood, won various awards, including the Cineville Audience Award and the IJzeren Haring Award at the film festival of Leiden. Hoogendoorn’s feature debut Between 10 and 12 was selected for Venice Days in the summer of 2014.

Director’s statement

“I intend to create intimacy and connection between the audience and the characters. The spirit of the film is simple, understated, and contemplative. While wishing desperately for Dick and Gerrie to express more of their truly-felt affection for each other, people in the audience might be reminded of their own family ties. The father-son dynamic and their behaviour form the foundation of the story. To me, what turns it into a film is the way in which we observe them. I do not want to place my camera in between them using shot-counter shot techniques and create the storytelling in the editing process. I want to observe Dick and Gerrie like a powerless witness, almost a voyeur. Am I filming the characters in the space, or am I filming a space that holds the characters? You can portray dramatic scenes by putting the camera close to the characters, but personally, I start to feel moved when I see the people in the space around them. The emotional effect, its tragedy, and its beauty are in the framing, the people’s body language, but also very much in the space in which they find themselves.”

Filmography

2009 Wes (short)
2012 Show Me Love (short)
2014 Tussen 10 en 12 (Between 10 and 12)
2024 Drie Dagen Vis (Three Days of Fish)

Awards and festivals

2024 Karlovy Vary IFF – Concorso Competition: Miglior Attore Best Actor (Ton Kas, Guido Pollemans)

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