In the past, we have covered multiple shorts of Malaysian Anwar Johari Ho, but the truth is, that “Fish Balls” is definitely his most daring. The film premiered in Sea Shorts and is also finding its way in Jogja-Netpac this year.
Fish Balls review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

The film begins with a young man in shock, as he is about to cut a piece of his genitals that have been transformed into a snakehead fish. His agony is palpable, but soon his voyeuristic past takes over, with him watching a woman in secret, which results in his fish member ‘becoming alive’. A bit later a woman appears, and a notion about his becoming violent with her is suggested, before the movie takes a completely different turn, as the man becomes more and more a fish.
Anwar Johari directs a 13-minute short which combines a number of extreme aspects, ranging from the appalling, to the perverse, to the sexual, the absurd, the crude, the grotesque and the surreal, in a package, however, that works quite well, additionally because all this excessiveness is occasionally weirdly funny.
The many close ups on the protagonist and his overall acting, which functions much like a performance, as does the majority of the film actually, adds to aforementioned elements, with Kahoe Hon being truly imposing in all the different aspects of his character he presents here.
The appearance of a woman adds a bit of context to the story, perhaps implying that what is happening to the protagonist is a punishment for his crimes, although the very ending definitely muddies the waters. Perhaps one could say the director refers to the concept of women who were abused returning to their abusers, but the presentation is not exactly clear.
Elise Shick in the role is also quite good, as both the object of lust and a woman tormented who is struggling between her wants and reality. The interactions of the two are particularly entertaining, with the chemistry of the actors being palpable.
Expectedly, the film leans significantly to its visuals, and DP Kiefer Yu, with the help of SFX does a great job in presenting all the aforementioned elements, including the voyeurism one, which is particularly intriguing in its presentation. The scene with the hands, both the many and that of the female protagonist, will definitely stay on mind as the ones that fully encompass the aesthetics of the movie. Andrew Joseph’s editing adds to the overall atmosphere here with the occasionally rather abrupt cuts, while the relatively fast pace suits the movie to perfection.
Although definitely not for everyone, and definitely not exactly clear on its comments, “Fish Balls” emerges as a rather captivating short, with the audiovisual and directorial approach to the story and the two protagonists elevating it much above any of its issues.