The Annihilation of Fish
Directed by Charles Burnett
Written by Anthony C. Winkler
Starring Lynn Redgrave, James Earl Jones, & Margot Kidder
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour and 48 minutes
New Restoration in theaters February 14

by Jessica Scott, Staff Writer

“A man’s heart has got to have a reason to pump.”

Charles Burnett’s lost film, The Annihilation of Fish, is equal parts funny, strange, sad, and sweet. Above all, it’s a tender film about what it means to love and be loved from a master filmmaker whose movies capture the poetry of the mundane. Aided by a stellar leading cast, Burnett employs his talent for sharply observed and achingly human grace notes to capture the transformative power of loving someone for who they really are. Though the film was dropped in 1999 after a single negative review made its distributor skittish, this sweet ode to the eccentricities of love is finally seeing the release it deserves.

Jamaican immigrant Obediah “Fish” Johnson (James Earl Jones) moves into a boarding house after being institutionalized for a decade due to his frequent wrestling matches with a demon that is visible only to him. The owner of the house is Mrs. Muldroone (Margot Kidder), whose primary concerns are watering a very stubborn weed in her yard and making sure people spell her surname correctly. Her only other tenant is Poinsettia (Lynn Redgrave), an eternally disheveled woman who is recovering from a breakup with long-dead Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Poinsettia becomes the referee for Fish’s wrestling matches with the demon, and the wariness she and Fish share for one another gradually transforms into an unexpected and heartwarming romance.

Anthony C. Winkler’s buoyant script began as a short story, and the awkwardness of adapting from one medium to another bleeds through occasionally. Early scenes in the boarding house can feel somewhat stage-y, as if the viewer were watching a black box theatrical production rather than a film. However, there’s also a delightful tension in these early scenes. The primary cast is electric, but they are initially isolated from one another. Jones imbues Fish with a steely but matter-of-fact determination in his dealings with the demon, while Redgrave plays a delightful mix of daffy and exasperated at believing herself to be the only sane person in the room at any given time. Both actors walk a tightrope between heartbreaking and hilarious as they navigate their characters’ deep personal pain while also learning about each other’s peculiarities.

Watching Jones and Redgrave give such superb, committed performances on their own creates an anticipation in the viewer as they wait for Fish and Poinsettia’s worlds to collide. When they finally do, the result is deeply funny and disarmingly romantic. Though they seem at first blush like their lives couldn’t be more different, Fish and Poinsettia discover that they’re just like every other person on the planet: strange, lonely, and searching for the one person in the world who makes them feel less strange and lonely.

Kidder’s Mrs. Muldroone is the perfect counterweight to this unlikely couple. Just as Fish and Poinsettia each live in their own worlds at first, so too does Mrs. Muldroone, with her weed watering and monologues about the importance of the final “e” in her name. The film’s joy comes from watching these small, insular worlds open up and join together. Rather than scoff at Fish’s wrestling matches, Mrs. Muldroone congratulates him on each victory. Even though Poinsettia can’t see the demon when Fish recruits her to be the referee, she gamely watches their matches and lets the demon know when he’s crossed the line into unsportsmanlike conduct. Each character is wrapped up in their own grief and trouble, but when they witness each other’s struggles, they accept them without judgment and help each other carry the load.

Jones, Redgrave, and Kidder are a powerhouse trio in the film; with Winkler’s odd, lovely script and Burnett’s compassionate, incisive direction, they breathe life into their characters in a way that makes the viewer marvel at both the acting talent on display and the sorrow, silliness, and beauty of life. The Annihilation of Fish is a gem of a movie that shows us who we are as humans: strange, funny, sad, and capable of unconditional love if we open ourselves up to it.

Just like its characters, it took too long for the world to be able to see this film’s value, but what a gift now that it finally has.

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