It
was the year figure skater Tonya Harding had rival
Nancy Kerrigan practically kneecapped, ER and Friends
made their debuts, and O.J. Simpson starred in the first low-speed
police chase to be televised. But
for lesbians the most significant pop culture event of 1994
was the theatrical release of Go Fish, an indie film
made by and for lesbians had a surprising degree of crossover
appeal. Queer and mainstream audiences alike flocked to see
a girl-meets-girl love story and listen to new (and loquacious)
voices.
Go
Fish tells the story of two young women in Chicago’s
Belmont neighborhood: trendy Max, who describes herself as “a
single lesbo looking for love,” and Ely, whom Max at first
deems “extra crunchy” and even ugly. With encouragement
and meddling from their friends, the two ultimately fall for
each other.
Granted,
it takes a strategic haircut for Ely to even get Max to take
a second look. But the movie’s tagline is “the girl
is out there,” and over the course of 84 minutes, Max
grows and learns to open her eyes to the possibility of love
where she never expected it, while Ely leaves her long-term,
long-distance girlfriend for Max, trading in a fizzled-out relationship
for a new lease on life.
Go
Fish almost didn’t even
get made. Filmmakers Rose Troche and Guinevere
Turner (who also plays Max) enlisted their friends and acquaintances
to work behind as well as in front of the camera. No one was
paid and production stopped each time funds ran out. The onetime
couple broke up halfway through production yet retained their
business partnership.
It
took long years and a lot of blind faith for Go Fish
to even make it from production to distribution.
But
Go Fish made a successful tour of the festival circuit,
getting nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and winning
a Best Feature award at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival.
The little movie that hardly anyone other than now-bigwig producer
Christine Vachon and the filmmakers themselves believed in found
itself at the center of a major studio feeding frenzy before
Sundance was even over. The Samuel Goldwyn company won the bidding
war and the $15,000-budget movie wound up grossing nearly $2.5
million at the box office.
Go
Fish was hardly a shoo-in for commercial success. It’s
a dialogue-heavy number, filled with philosophical musings on
what it means to be a lesbian. It’s shot in grainy black-and-white
and is interspersed with experimental montages. The acting is
mostly amateur and the sound and score also reflect the film’s
restrictive budget. Not to mention that more time is spent leading
up to Max and Ely getting together than portraying their eventual
hookup.
So
why was Go Fish such a hit?
The
movie certainly has artistic merit: The writing is bold and
fresh and gives voice to perspectives previously unheard. It
manages to explore issues like homophobia and bi-phobia yet
remain lighthearted and entertaining. The direction is laudable
and the narrative is conveyed via creative use of limited resources.
It may look homemade but it’s just as obviously heartfelt
and heartwarming.
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