The Annihilation of Fish (2001)

Synopsis: Mississippi native Charles Burnett directs this quirky romantic comedy starring James Earl Jones as Fish, a retired Jamaican janitor who has spent the last ten years of his life in and out of mental institutions. Although he is still haunted by an inner demon, whom he believes embodies pure... Mississippi native Charles Burnett directs this quirky romantic comedy starring James Earl Jones as Fish, a retired Jamaican janitor who has spent the last ten years of his life in and out of mental institutions. Although he is still haunted by an inner demon, whom he believes embodies pure evil, Fish lives in a ramshackle boarding house in Los Angeles run by a warmhearted and eccentric widow (Margot Kidder in a boldly unrecognizable performance). His neighbor, Poinsettia (Lynn Redgrave) is a lonely woman who has given up real romance for an imaginary love affair with the long-dead opera star Puccini. One day, Fish finds Poinsettia drunk on the stairs of their boarding house and takes her into his room to recuperate. The two misfits, who have chosen to live within their own imaginary worlds, are shocked to find each other in the land of the living and begin a friendship that soon evolves into a tender and sometimes humorous romance. Together they must weather a set of unique challenges: imaginary devils, interracial dating, and long-dormant sexuality. This enchanting glimpse into the hearts and minds of two troubled souls who find each other in the twilight of their lives is driven by the honest and unflinching performances of James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave who shine together on screen. THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH is based on the lyrical Jamaican novel THE LUNATIC by screenwriter Anthony C. Winkler. [More]