Set in a beautiful seaport in the Maltese Islands, Luzzu is a heartfelt story of a young husband struggling to carry on the fishing tradition of his father and earlier generations of families on Malta.
With the waters of the Mediterranean Sea warming and the fish population declining, the European Commission is pushing fishermen to give up their trade and turn in their fishing boats, like the twelve-foot luzzu in this movie: a brightly painted wood boat with a pair of carved eyes on the prow.
First-time director, writer, and editor Alex Camilleri assembles a cast of local Maltese fishermen for lead roles in this film with remarkable results. Showcasing a brilliant script, exceptional sound editing, and incomparable scenery, this film shines.
Jesmark (Jesmark Scicluna) and his wife Denise (Michela Farruaia) learn from the pediatrician that their infant is behind in development. The doctor stresses it is critical they begin to feed the baby a fattening formula, take the baby to a speech therapist to check for swallowing issues, and consult with a dietician on nourishment. The couple worries over the cost of specialists. Denise works at a restaurant as a waitress and Jess tries to eke out a living by fishing with his small colorful luzzu named “La Palma”.
When Denise tries to persuade Jess to get a better paying job with a trawler, he refuses–saying trawlers destroy the ocean bottom. Denise comes from a wealthy family, and despite resenting her mother’s pushiness, seeks her mother’s assistance in finding doctors. Jess tries to solve his financial problems by himself.
As Jess is fishing, he sees that his luzzu is leaking. He pulls it up on shore using a wench and rollers. His cousin David (David Scicluna) helps him load the boat on a trailer and they take it to a secluded area on the beach to repair it. David determines a section on the front of the boat must be removed and replaced; new caulking is needed too. In the meantime, Jess fishes with David. They catch a shiny swordfish but are forced to throw it back as it is closed season for swordfish and it is illegal to keep it. When the men take their box of dogfish, snappers, and skate to the fish market, the fish hawker gives them less money than they expect. Jess is angry and frustrated.
As he is leaving, he notices in the back of the building an illegal swordfish are being loaded into a refrigerated van. Desperate for money to support his family, Jess takes a job with the criminal fish hawker, performing various odd jobs. One day Jess meets a friend who tells him he turned in his fishing boat and accepted the EU buyout. Will Jess do the same? Filled with suspense, emotion, and real-life drama, Luzzu is highly recommended for drama film collections in public libraries or non-theatrical screenings at local community venues.
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