The Shrimp

Every circle-of-life story has to start somewhere. Filmmaker Keith Wilson begins this one off the coast of Savannah, GA, where a single shrimp—swimming happily, one assumes—is suddenly caught in a fishing net. A contemplative piece told with images and natural sound, The Shrimp illustrates the life (and death) cycle of a threatened species important to the region's economy and culture, where oil spills and general pollution along the Atlantic seaboard (combined with foreign competition) have adversely affected the shrimp business. After being caught, sorted, and packed in ice, the shrimp goes to a processing facility, where it's washed, deveined, packaged, and refrigerated. Next stop is a restaurant, where it's battered and deep fried, and then served to a lounge singer who interrupts her piano playing to take a bite. Of course, the story doesn't end there. The next stage in the journey—from commode to a water reclamation plant—is tastefully depicted as the camera roams through neighborhoods along the way before ultimately winding up back where it started, in the sea. An artful documentary short that takes a nuanced approach to such topics as sustainability, food systems, ecology, and regional culture, this is recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (C. Block)