Just Sea

Salvo, a seasoned fisherman tells a melancholic tale set against the breathtaking backdrop of the towering island cliffs of Gozo, Malta. His voice unveils a sentiment of loss, loss of the sea and the life beneath its waves.

Life has deserted Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago. They say that, in times when Man had not yet depleted Nature’s generosity, the sea swished with fish “full of secrets”, in the very place they say that Calypso held Ulysses prisoner. Much later on, they pulled from the water shiny colourful creatures that could be worn as trinkets: starfish, shells and octopuses that stuck to the skin. Donkey and horse tails were often cut and used for fishing lines, as the fisherman explains to Franzisca von Stenglin, who is filming him, perched precariously on the edge of limestone cliffs, the last presence of the isle, a future myth yet to be born. Below, the lifeless abysses produce nothing but foam under the horrified gaze of ancient statues. The man alone seems to beseech life to return as he scrutinises the sea one last time. Sometimes, he calls out, but the dead give no reply. The bell tolls in the village cemetery. The passing days will not bring back what has disappeared, neither the fish under water nor those who annihilated them.

Christian Borghino