Against the Tide

Rakesh Koli and Ganesh Nakhawa, two fishermen working in the port of Mumbai, are so close they consider each other family. Yet their bond is threatened when they clash over how to carry out their profession. Although he is struggling to make ends meet, Rakesh intends to stick to the traditional way of fishing he has learned from his father, a method that is respectful of the sea’s resources. Ganesh, on the other hand, is drawn by a new method that uses light to attract the fish. The latter is potentially profitable in the short run, but illegal and enormously harmful to the environment, threatening to deplete the sea's resources before they can regenerate. In this deeply sensitive film, the director Sarvnik Kaur never takes position, aware that both individuals have their reasons, as well as families to provide for in a global environment that is increasingly uncertain. Strongly resonating with Gillo Pontecorvo’s powerful The Wide Blue Road, Against the Tide is a gripping story about the strength of extra-economic bonds in times when economic interests seem to be at odds.

Dimitri de Preux