The Elephant and the Sea

A Malaysian & Netherlands film:

Directed by Woo Ming Jin

Produced by Tomato Ueda & Woo Ming Jin

Synopsis

Two men -- one elderly, one in his twenties -- are touched by tragedies linked to a single source in this drama from Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin. Yun Ding (Berg Lee Seng Wan) is a young layabout who earns a meager living with his friend Long Chai (Cheong Wai Loon) by leaving sharp objects on the road, and then charging motorists to help fix their inevitable flat tires. Sometimes Yun and Long catch fish from the nearby ocean, but a strange and virulent illness has been infecting the local catch, and those who eat it die in a matter of hours, putting the local fishing fleet out of business. One veteran fisherman, Ah Ngau (Chung Kok Keung), has lost his wife to the illness, and after his home was quarantined by the local health department, he's left with nowhere to go but a homeless shelter. Yun is also touched by loss when Long unexpectedly dies, and he ends up escorting customers to a brothel to keep his head above water. As his prospects become more grim, Yun becomes fascinated with an exotic fish displayed at a local pet store, which he's told will bring him good luck. Ah, meanwhile, discovers his unfortunate story brings out charitable instincts in others, which he hopes he can use to his advantage.