Starfisher

Anthony Ferraro’s Starfisher follows a man determined to make his mark before it’s too late, and it’s never about the money. It’s all about pride.

Captain Thiago (Don Scribner) is an aging deep-space salvager who’s spent his career chasing that one big score that never came. After years of living in isolation, he gets a call from a former boss with a tip about a life-changing opportunity. This is that score he’s been waiting for. It’s an Aerozoan, a legendary whale-sized creature living in deep space and worth more money than one could ever imagine. Thiago sets a course and pushes his bucket-of-bolts ship to the exact location. When he finally reaches the site, drifting quietly against the stars, Thiago realizes his trip wasn’t as private as he thought. His old salvage partner Montgomery (Anthony Ferraro) is already there, and the race has begun.

With Starfisher, what we have is “Moby Dick in space.” It’s less about the creature everyone’s chasing and more about why we chase anything in life. We’re all looking for that big fish that will make us a legend and will supposedly end our innumerable quests—once and for all. But is this dream worth chasing? This lifelong obsession has ultimately left Thiago more alone than ever.

“Captain Thiago is an aging deep-space salvager who’s spent his career chasing that one big score that never came.”

As a film, Starfisher works on a microbudget. The spaceship set isn’t bad, but the CG effects and animation are pretty off-the-shelf. Still, the story and performance underneath carry it. Don Scribner plays Thiago as a gruff, worn-down loner, and he puts real thought into the character. The only weakness is the visual polish — the heart of it is in Scribner’s performance.

What Ferraro’s Starfisher lacks in budget is more than made up for in ambition. Don Scribner’s performance as the grizzled captain does all the heavy lifting. It’s a well-told reminder that chasing legacy can leave you with nothing in the end.

Starfisher can be streamed on YouTube.