FISHING WITHOUT NETS
US/Somalia/Kenya, 2014, 109 minutes, Colour.
Abdiwali Farrah, Idil Ibrahim, Abdi Kani, Eric Godon, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb.
Directed by Cutter Hodierne.
World audiences were introduced to Somali pirates in Paul Greengrass’s story of Captain Phillips in the film of the same name, starring Tom Hanks.
This time the focus is on the Somalis themselves, especially a poor fisherman who is trying to make ends meet for his wife and child, is in negotiations with people smugglers to get her to a new home.
In the meantime, some of his friends and associates become involved with the Somali pirates and their plans to get hostage money from the ship owners. The film shows the characters themselves, those in command, those who do the actual job, the limitations of their background in education, the propensities for violence and confrontation, hostilities towards the owners and sailors on the ship (who are from various countries, from Europe as well as the Philippines).
The film shows the tracking of the ship, the taking, with all its haphazard behaviour, clashes between the Somalis themselves, the treatment of the crew, of the captain, and the taking hostage of one of the sailors, take him ashore, keeping him in their camp. There are the complications of communicating with the shipowners, the behaviour of those organising, the rebellious attitudes of those who carried out the raid. The young fisherman becomes involved, is more sympathetic towards the taken sailor, contacts the people smugglers who demand more money from him.
And there are some violent consequences.
1. The title? The Somali fishermen and their traditions? Difficulties and poverty? The contrast with the piracy and the taking of ships and crews in the Red Sea? Ransom?
2. Locations, Somalia and Kenya? The fishing villages? The wharfs? The ships out at sea? The tanker? The coast and the Pirate headquarters? The musical score?
3. The background of piracy, the Somali pirates? The film giving an insight into them? Sympathy, criticism, condemnation? Somali perspective? A Western perspective?
4. Abdi, a young man, the fishermen, inheriting his trade? Depletion of the fish? The need for money? His boat? The decision to pay the smugglers? His devotion to his wife, his child? Letting them go, the phone calls, his desperation, the smugglers asking for more money, the sexual threats to his wife? His motivation for agreeing to go to see with the pirates?
5. The men in the village, the background of piracy, his friends, the discussions, the outside leaders?
6. The plan, going to see, the strategy? The targeting the tanker?
7. The tanker, the Capt, his crew, International, Filipinos? The white members of the crew? The men boarding, the guns, tensions, angers, the treatment? The captain left to guide the ship? The taking Victor as hostage?
8. Victor, hostage, his background, the treatment? The language difficulties? His being imprisoned? The hostility? Abdi and his befriending him, Victor’s suspicions, sharing food? The return to the ship, the drama, Victor being shot?
9. The Somalis and the authorities, the boss and his treatment, the timing, waiting for the money? The angry young men on the ship, drugs, greed? The outbursts of violence? The struggles within the group?
10. The plan for the money, putting up the flags, waiting for the plane to fly over? The impatience of the young men, not hearing the directions? The plane leaving?
11. The treatment of Abdi, locking him in the hold, his emerging? His knowing about the flags, putting them up? The money drop, his going on the raft, eventually collecting the money?
12. The film ending in mid-Ocean, Abdi with the money – but could he get to shore, what could he do about his wife and child, the authorities? A dubious future?
