Little Fish
IFC Films (2021)
This is simultaneously the most realistic science fiction story that I've seen since Children Of Men, and probably the best love story I've ever seen. I caught it this morning on Kanopy, but it's also available to stream on Hulu or to rent on YouTube and Amazon Prime.
Little Fish takes place in the United States. Everything looks and feels the same as the world that we live in, but there is a condition called Neuro-Inflammatory Affliction (NIA) that is spreading. There's no explanation for how it's transmitted, and the people in this movie don't seem to have a great understanding on what it is, but it affects the human brain and takes away your memories. This happens gradually for some people who begin forgetting minor details before the disease progresses to forgetting the people in their lives, but it is fast acting for others, like a pilot who forgot how to fly midway through their flight.
The story is focused on a young married couple named Emma and Jude as they find their way a world that has been struck by this new pandemic. It is oddly beautiful and scary as hell at the same time, particularly in a post-Covid world. If this movie isn't already a cult classic, I think it will be soon enough.
