I don’t think I’ve met a family yet that doesn’t have some need of healing, including my own. What father doesn’t want to reconcile with his estranged son? What mother doesn’t want her children to learn wisdom from their grandfather? What elder doesn’t want to pass the wisdom of experience on to the younger generation? That’s exactly what happens in the relatable new film, Looking Through Water, releasing in theaters on September 12th.
Based on the books “Catching Big Fish” and “Looking Through Water” by Bob Rich, who also contributed to the screenplay along with Zach Dean and Rowdy Herrington, Looking Through Water captures well the heartbreak of family dysfunction, the devastation of resentment, and the healing possible if people but open their hearts to reconciliation.
Directed by Roberto Sneider, the film follows William McKay (Michael Douglas) as he tells his story to his grandson, Kyle (Walker Scobell), who sports a split lip and black eye after he gets beat up at school. Kyle’s Dad’s affair has fractured Kyle’s friendships. Forced to go fishing with Grandpa William, Kyle’s roiling emotions are in stark contrast to the peace of the lake he can see from his grandad’s rowboat.
As William probes Kyle for the truth of what happened, the film flashes back to William’s younger years as a successful New York businessman and the night that changed everything for him. On the cusp of receiving a prestigious award, William (now played by Michael Stahl-David), finds out that his most trusted friend and business partner is not only secretly plotting to take over his company, but also having an affair with his fiancé. Storming out of the posh event venue, he makes his way home, drinks way too much, and grazes himself with a bullet in a bumbled suicide attempt.
That’s when he gets a call from his estranged father, Leo (David Morse). They haven’t spoken in ten years, but Leo insists that William come to Placencia, Belize to participate in a father/son fishing competition. Groggy and bleeding, William reluctantly gets on his private plane and heads to Central America.
Throughout the course of the fishing tournament, father and son have a chance to ask the hard questions and have some long-needed conversations. What William learns there sets his life on a new course and, as a grandfather, his experience can help his grandson navigate his own relationships which are in need of healing.
Looking Through Water reminds me a bit of White Bird where a grandmother’s story influences her bully grandson for the better. The film also speaks to the destructive power of holding on to old grudges and resentments as well as the need for open and honest communication in families, especially when hurtful events have occurred, such as an affair. But Looking Through Water also witnesses to the hope possible when healing is embraced.
If a fishing trip can evoke deep conversation and facilitate healing, then maybe we all could use a little more fishing in our lives!