No Fish Where to Go

Based on the 2003 book by Marie-Francine Hébert, this strange fable is co-directed by Nicola Lemay and illustrator Janice Nadeau. A globe-spinning teacher is barely acknowledged as two best friends from rival clans in his class giggle and whisper-chant their ode to each other (“we are two and two are one…forever”). When the girls' fathers come to pick them up from school, our little heroine's doctor dad only receives a glowering “harummph” from her bestie's red-shoed parent. In fact, glares and slammed doors are the usual responses that non-red-shoe wearers receive when coming into contact with red-shoe-wearers (“What are the red shoes for?” the protagonist girl asks, “A carnival?”). Although the girl sleeps soundly, her parents worry at night, thinking that they will leave just as soon as the father finds a replacement physician for the town. But then the decision is taken from them when the red-shoe-wearers break into the house and separate the family. An uneasy string-heavy soundtrack adds to the disturbing watercolor images, which include a bird flying away with its nest on its back, a house being kicked over to expose plant-like roots, and the school being set on fire. A poignant, thought-provoking, haunting story about intolerance, this ALSC Notable Video selection is highly recommended. Aud: I, J, P. (J. Williams-Wood)