Fishing Without Nets (2012)

Director:

Cutter Hodierne

Cast:

Abdikani Muktar, Abu Bakr Mirre, Ali Daudi Osman

Summary:

Pirates in Somalia, from the perspective of the pirates.

Review & Reflection:

This short film packs a lot into is 17 minutes and was rewarded with success at the Sundance film festival. Cutter Hodiene directs a film that shifts the focus in the discussion/representation of modern pirates, presenting it through the eye of the pirates who also happen to be poor Somali pirates that have little in the way of prospects than that joining the pirate gangs. (Berndtsson & Kinsey, 2016). The film introduces the pirates from the outset, placing they in a small boat with guns dwarfs by the size of the ship before bringing them back to their natural surroundings.

The initial cinematography is cinematic; the following shots appear to be more from a documentary, with the medium close-ups and how the characters address the camera directly. This is juxtaposed the unsteady camera that follows them to the ship in the next scene which gives the feeling of first-hand involvement. The action is framed by narration from the pirates who discuss their strategy and why tey do what they do: “We don’t have to shoot! Only shoot if they don’t cooperate.” (Hodierne, 2012, 00:01:41-00:01:47). The use of camera angles and shots provides a realism that emphasises the reality of those who feel they have no choice but to be a “hapless criminal” (Macauley, 2012).

The film re-establishes modern piracy on the political agenda but challenges the status quo. That is, showing from the pirate’s point of view and therefore demonstrates the point that we have been looking at within this project that the deliberate use of issue can be used as propaganda by an individual filmmaker.