Luzzu (2021)

There's a moment in Luzzu where you feel the full weight of a man caught between the world he was raised in and the one that's bearing down on him, and it hits without a single line of dialogue. That's the kind of filmmaking this is: quiet, patient, utterly grounded. And for my A-Z World Movie Tour, Malta delivered exactly what I was hoping for.

This is hyper-local storytelling at its best. The film drops you into the daily reality of a traditional fisherman on the Maltese coast, a way of life that's being slowly squeezed out by economics, regulation, and time. It's a world most of us would never otherwise get close to, and that's precisely what makes it worth your time. The coastal landscapes are shot with genuine care. There's real beauty in the simplicity of it, the early mornings, the boats, the water, the routine. It never feels like a tourism brochure, though. It feels like life.

The reason any of it works as well as it does is Jesmark Scicluna, who plays the lead, Jesmark. And here's the thing: he's a real-life fisherman, not a trained actor, and it shows in the best possible way. There's nothing performed about him. He's worn down, trying to do right by his young family, torn between honouring the tradition he inherited and making a decision that might keep the lights on. His performance is raw, understated, and completely authentic. You believe every second of it.

The film doesn't dress things up. When desperate times call for desperate measures, Jesmark makes choices that are uncomfortable to watch, not because they're dramatic in a showy way, but because you understand exactly how he got there. That moral weight, carried so quietly, is where the film earns its keep.

I will say: this isn't one for those who need their films to move at pace. Luzzu is deliberately slow, low on conventional dramatic fireworks, and it asks you to sit with discomfort rather than resolve it neatly. Some viewers will find it too measured. I think that's largely a feature rather than a bug, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't occasionally feel the drag. It won't be for everyone.

And it doesn't break any particular ground in terms of how it tells its story. The structure is familiar, the beats are predictable in broad strokes. But what it offers in return is something genuinely rare: a respectful, intimate look at a vanishing way of life, told without condescension or sentimentality. It reminded me a little of what I love about world cinema more broadly. Films like Mustang do something similar, taking you somewhere specific and specific-feeling, into a community and a pressure that you carry with you after the credits roll.

Three stars. A modest but honest film, and for my world cinema tour, Malta gave me exactly what I was after.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2021  | Watched: 2025-07-16

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · BFI Player
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Kino Film Collection
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Physical: Amazon US

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