The Monk and the Fish

1994 0h 6m FR

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 57★7.1IMDB · 1,341

Animation

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A plump and exuberant monk goes fishing, and a playful fish eludes him. First the monk uses a rod and reel, then a net; over and over, he ends up fish-less and wet. Sleepless, he tries luring the fish at night with a bank of candles. He tries a bow and arrow. The tireless and insouciant fish leads the monk through a viaduct, over irrigated steppes, across cisterns, down canals.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
Writers: Michael Dudok de Wit, Michael Dudok de Wit
Languages: No Language
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 6-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit, shot by Patrick Tallaron. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Serge Besset. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hervé Guichard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110547 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Dudok de Wit directs. Patrick Tallaron behind the camera. Serge Besset scores. Hervé Guichard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 6-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit, shot by Patrick Tallaron. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Serge Besset. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hervé Guichard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0110547 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Patrick Tallaron
Original score: Serge Besset
Editing: Hervé Guichard
Runtime: 6 min · 0h 6m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Monk and the Fish (1994)
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 1,341 votes

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 4 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Michael Dudok de Wit

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-01-15
★ 7/10
A monk is sitting by the water's edge looking at his reflection when out pops a fish. He immediately races to his cell where he procures a net and a bucket. Dinner? Well the fish has other ideas and despite the nimbleness of this rather portly cleric who's quite adept at the martial arts, the fish continues to come and go as it please. Overnight, the man studies and even recruits his colleagues but they don't believe the fish is there at all. Perhaps he can catch it by candlelight at night, or perhaps the fish will be asleep? A bow an arrow? It's now that the fish leads him on a merrier, less tangible, dance that takes him from the seclusion of his monastery and into pastures new... The soundtrack has a baroque style to it and the animation, though basic, quite square and two-dimensional, manages to convey the curiosity, frustration and then something just a little more surreally tranquil as it concludes in sort of peaceful equilibrium.

Production companies