Most of the film takes place at sea; however, the film opens with a premier of Steve Zissou’s (Bill Murray) recent documentary in which he lost his best friend to what he calls a Jaguar Shark.  In the question and answer session after the film, someone asks Steve why he would kill the shark that might be an endangered species.  To this Steve simply responds, “Revenge.” Later Steve drifts around in melancholy while people call on him to meet more people.  This scene has a strong sense of symbolic meaning, as the audience could empathize with Steve who appears much like a bottled message that drifts around on the ocean without contacting land.  The scene also provides the notion that Steve tries to bottle up everything within him, as he does not express much emotion.

The party drifts from the theater to the Belafonte, the ship from which Steve and his crew run their marine operations, where Steve for the first time meets his 30-year old pilot son, Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson).  The emotional rift between Steve and Ned is obvious, yet a peculiar connection appears between the two.  The film continues intermittently to explore the reunion between the father and the long lost son, as Steve brings him under his wing by letting him join the Zissou organization.  Throughout the film, the audience gets to witness how Steve maintains his emotional distance to Ned.  Steve’s persona seems to affect everything onboard the Belafonte, as the crew seems discontent with Steve’s leadership while others are hurt by his choices.  Eventually all of the problems bottled up problems begin to seep out little by little, as Steve discovers that he is loosing control of his venture to avenge the death of his friend.

Steve restrains his feelings while small portions seep out creating ripples in his personal and professional life while it later creates havoc onboard the Belafonte.  These ripples affect his relationship with his wife Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston), as their strained relationship seems to slowly dissolve.  Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett), a pregnant British reporter, goes on the expedition for the Jaguar Shark.  When Steve meets her he finds her attractive while also treating her with a level of distrust.  His professional attitude seems to diminish, as he continues to treat people unusually.  Even his faithful assistant Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe) gradually becomes hostile toward Ned.  This hostility seems to source from Klaus’ anxiety of his importance aboard the Belafonte, which is much due to Steve’s emotional dilemma and the arrival of Ned.

Despite the difficulties, the audience gets to witness a voyage of melancholy and emotional retribution that pays off big dividends, as cognitive recognition of self-destruction finds a solution.  This ends up being a solution where trust, open communication, and honest affection for one another turn the pages away from anxious motionlessness and ripples of resentment.  Through the solution, Anderson presents the idea that the oceans waves can also be harmoniously soothing and comforting, as he maximizes on the analogy that the sea offers in the film.  This offers the idea that personal emotional storm is analogous to the eye of a hurricane where nothing can enter or exit without damage.  Nonetheless, all hurricanes eventually die off leaving the survivor in a chaotic mess where everything around has been tossed around.  Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou does exactly what the hurricane does; as the serene waves of solution provides ultimate closure for the audience.

Initially, the film gives the impression to be a quirky cinematic journey that Anderson has offered through his pervious wittingly compelling Bottle Rocket (1996), or his clever Rushmore (1998).  Despite the similarities with his previous films, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou displays another level of Anderson’s artistic side, as he elaborates on the origin of human detachment through marvelous cool computer generated images of sea creatures and a clever performance from a brilliant cast.  The camera work displays additional elements that enhance the feeling of being on the ocean while framing each scene in a way that accentuates distance and emptiness.  There is also a sequence in the film that maps out the boat that Anderson incorporated into the film, which brings to mind a scene from Tout Va Bien (1972) where Jean-Luc Godard maps out the meat factory.  Lastly, the score is excellent; as the main score seems to be missing something while it provides a sound that makes one think of underwater adventure. Combined, all the filmmaking facets pour out a sympathetic tale of distance and belonging that leaves the audience in astonishing wonder.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

USA

Filmography links and data courtesy of