Amidst a driving rainstorm and massive floods, a middle-aged woman living in the slums of Manila gives birth to a fish in Adolfo Alix Jr.'s tranquil, surreal Fable of the Fish. While at times satirical, the film does not romanticize the situation or turn overly surreal; the question is not why or how this happened, but how one copes with the absurdity of everyday life. Deftly weaving urban mythology with religious and political allegory, Fable is economical in movement and scope, and directed with extreme tenderness by the artist behind that festival favorite Adela.