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Dream with the Fishes
Dream with the Fishes
Directed by	Finn Taylor
Screenplay by	Finn Taylor
Story by	Finn Taylor; Jeffrey D. Brown
Starring	David Arquette; Kathryn Erbe; J. E. Freeman; Brad Hunt; Patrick McGaw; Cathy Moriarty;
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release date	June 20, 1997;
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1 million
Box office	$543,708

Dream with the Fishes is a 1997 American independent film directed by Finn Taylor. The film is Taylor's directorial debut and starred David Arquette, Kathryn Erbe and Brad Hunt. It was released on June 20, 1997, by Sony Pictures Classics.

Plot

The film follows Terry, a suicidal voyeur who doesn't seem to be able to kill himself. While preparing for jumping off a bridge, he meets Nick who ends up saving his life. Terry discovers that Nick is terminally ill and doesn't have much time left. Scared by the lack of time, Nick offers Terry a deal he can't refuse: Terry will become the beneficiary of Nick's life insurance or, since money doesn't matter to Terry, Nick promises to kill him before he dies. All Nick asks is Terry's help to realize a few fantasies before dying.

Cast

David Arquette as Terry
Kathryn Erbe as Liz
Brad Hunt as Nick
Cathy Moriarty as Aunt Elise
J. E. Freeman as Joe
Patrick McGaw as Don
Timi Prulhiere as Michelle
Anita Barone as Mary
Allyce Beasley as Sophia

Production

Taylor has claimed that the film is loosely autobiographical. Taylor himself once spent six years traveling around the country with a friend. In one interview, Taylor claimed: "When I was 19, I contemplated suicide and attempted to hold up a drug store."^[2]

It was shot in San Francisco and in other locations around Northern California.^[3]^[4]

Release and reception

Dream with the Fishes debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, and was picked up by Sony's indie division Sony Pictures Classics. It would go on to earn $460,000 in limited release in June 1997.^[5] In Australia, it also received a limited theatrical release in October 1997.^[6]

The film received a relatively positive reception from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a rating of 61% based on 44 reviews.^[7] Roger Ebert stated in June 1997 that the film "shows some of the signs of unchained ambition."^[8] The Los Angeles Times said that "of all the towering blockbusters this summer, Dream With The Fishes has more heart than the lot of them." Dan Webster of The Spokesman-Review commented in August 1997 that Dream with the Fishes is "a perfect example of the kind of personal film that won’t necessarily connect with a larger audience." He added that it is "told with a sensitivity that, while not exactly Oscar-worthy, does manage to touch on feelings most mainstream films don’t even admit exist."^[9]

Dennis Harvey of Variety labelled it a "a flat-out imitation of some more adventurous strains in ’70s U.S. cinema", noting that the film "ends up looking wholly original in the current indie landscape" because of this.^[10] Dream with the Fishes was included in Magill's Cinema Annual 1998: A Survey of the Films of 1997, which also noted its similarities to 1970s American cinema. The book states that, "Dream with the Fishes pays homage to '70s films like Dealing (1971), The Last Detail (1973) and California Split (1974), with unapologetic substance abuse, retro costumes, and characters who drop out of the mainstream on their way to enlightenment." The book further added that, "Taylor gives the picture a stark and distinctive visual style and the film stock itself was processed to further imitate the grainy, color-saturated look of '70s cinema."^[11]

In a 2007 interview, actor David Arquette stated that Dream with the Fishes was "close to my heart" and "a great independent film."^[12] In celebration of the film's 25th anniversary, it had a special screening at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California on October 17, 2022. This screening used a new hi-res master.^[13] In December 2022, the film was also released on Blu-ray for the first time by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, having previously only been available on VHS and DVD.^[14]^[15]