Even the off-the-wall moments of comedy and magical realism he employs don't feel as much like a cinematic construction as they do a whimsical illustration of the onset of angst. Nagahisa has a brilliantly light touch, straining the girls' monologues through a series of kinetic montages not unlike 'Run Lola Run.' The group deals primarily with the doldrums of small-town life, but Nagahisa wisely doesn't patronize. Such is the case with Makoto Nagahisa's 'And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool.' A distinctive debut short film with a signature voice, 'Goldfish' follows four fifteen-year-old girls who we come to understand profoundly within the 27-minute running time. Whether it's futility, love, loss, humor, or tragedy, true art has a lasting impact rooted in genuine emotion.
Art happens when humans communicate some part of the human condition to other humans.
