THE GOLDEN FISH

"With the animated short The Golden Fish, realized for Vogue.it, loosely based on a tale by the Grimm Brothers, I explored the theme of decline. The protagonists of the short are two poverty-stricken sisters living in a mud shack on the seashore. The most hardworking one goes fishing every day, until one day, rising to her bait is a half-woman half-fish creature. The girl decides to leave her free and is given, as a gift, two garments, one for herself, the other for her lazy and grumbling sister. Unsatisfied with the present, the latter orders the industrious sister to go back to the sea and ask the lady fish for more clothes. But, following the many requests, the magical creature decides to punish the girl’s greediness and make all her gifts disappear. Having realized she was punished for demanding too much, the young girl understands she needs to be less greedy and goes fishing with her sister. The motto being...those who want to obtain all at once without making any effort will gain... nothing”.