British Films to Soothe the Soul: 'Fisherman’s Friends'
Times are still uncertain and if, like me, you foolhardily waded into the insane real estate market here in the U.S., you likely need to make time for a little self-care to keep you from ending up in a fetal position on the floor. So the other night I decided to put down the packing tape and watch a lovely little movie called Fisherman’s Friends instead. And for almost two hours, I didn’t think about closing costs, COVID-19, or the upcoming election and it was such a relief!
Fisherman’s Friends is not, in this case, a strong menthol throat lozenge, but a 2019 feel-good film based on a true story (what movie isn’t these days, right?). In it, a band of sea shanty singing Cornish fishermen and lifeboatmen are discovered by a London music executive who is able to snag them a contract with a major record label. The real-life “buoy” band scored a top-ten single and an appearance at the famed Glastonbury Festival. They still perform in the off-season when not out catching lobsters.
The film weaves threads of the real Fisherman’s Friends' journey with a rom-com element and the timeless lesson that fame and fortune do not guarantee a happy life.
