While Little Fish is, at its heart, a sci-fi romance, its central story of a devastating virus causing irreversible damage to its affected has become less “science fiction” and more accurately the bizarre reality in which we live. Based on the short story by Aja Gabel, Little Fish–directed by Chad Hartigan–is a sensitive and thought-provoking independent film that sparks nostalgia for simpler times.

Little Fish is a story about falling in love and falling out of consciousness, of waking up one morning and not recognizing the love of your life. Newlyweds Emma (Olivia Cooke) and Jude (Jack O’Connell) have a steady relationship–a true “us against the world” outlook–but even their bond isn’t immune to the newly discovered virus causing catastrophic symptoms. NIA (also known as Neuro-Inflammatory Affliction) is a wicked virus that attacks the brain and causes permanent memory loss. Some lose it all at once, others fade slowly. And Jude, regrettably, is fading away slowly.

Without a cure and complete memory loss inevitable, Emma and Jude take it upon themselves to recreate the moments from their love story in the hopes of prolonging his conscious mind. Cue the polaroids with notes written on the back, daily walks around the neighborhood, and tattooing a little fish on their feet–symbolic of their deeply felt love for each other–all serving as Emma’s ways of recording everything she can to cherish the present moment.

Even the title alone has an ironic ring to it, as it’s commonly believed that fish have a memory span of 30 seconds, their forgetfulness being their weakness.

Much like Jude’s slow progression towards the unfamiliar, Little Fish feels like a slow and somber drip of passing time. It’s heavy and heartbreaking, matching the grim outlook of our protagonist. However, Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell give passionate performances that allow us to connect. Set to a sweeping score by composer Keegan Dewitt, Little Fish embraces its dark undertones. Even the title alone has an ironic ring to it, as it’s commonly believed that fish have a memory span of 30 seconds, their forgetfulness being their weakness.

As we’re all still in the thick of fighting through the emotional hardships of our collective COVID pandemic, Little Fish holds up a mirror and asks how we can better remember the moments that are important to us. It’s not possible to put time in a bottle, but we all have those moments that were so special, you wish you could relive them again and again (for most of us, that moment is anytime pre-March 2020). Little Fish encourages us to treat memories as sacred gifts because life without memory is no life at all.

Distributed by IFC Films, Little Fish opens on demand and at Cinelounge Drive-In Hollywood this Friday, February 5, 2021.