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Finally a young black woman, Chantelle (Alfre Woodard), arrives to look after this 'bitch on wheels'. It's pretty much the last chance for Mary-Alice, who has sunk into a miserable coma of alcohol and TV, and a much-needed opportunity for Chantelle. Both turn out to be as stubborn as mules, which is just what Mary-Alice requires. Far from being a virtual slave, cleaning up and running after her employer, Chantelle is happy to strand Mary-Alice outside until she agrees to do some exercises. Mary-Alice complains "But it's all uphill", to which Chantelle replies "So's life". A turning point occurs when Mary-Alice finds out that her nurse is a recovering drug addict (from a former boyfriend, who turns up unannounced). This direct parallel, with Mary-Alice's unstated alcoholism, provides a link which binds their destinies together. Chantelle can convince Mary-Alice to give up the bottle because she knows just what the pain of withdrawal is like.
Visitors from the outside world drop by occasionally, such as a pair of former schoolmates (who were never really friends) and Mary-Alice's layabout uncle. To make the house more wheelchair friendly, Rennie (David Strathairn), a handyman and childhood friend, in hired by Chantelle. It turns out that Mary-Alice had a crush on him, during his wild and dashing youth, although now he's married with five kids. Despite this there's a certain electricity between the two, a feeling that they could be right for each other. Chantelle has her own romantic entanglement with local cowboy Sugar LeDoux (Vondie Curtis-Hall), a very charming and attractive man. However, both Mary-Alice and Chantelle find that they have to overcome the same problem, difficulty in trusting and getting close to people -- a legacy of city living. As their working relationship evolves into friendship, further echoes from their past rise up to test them.
The strength of Passion Fish lies in its honesty; the story never becomes sentimental, doesn't manufacture false crises and refuses to fall into the trap of portraying disabled people as angels. Real people inhabit this story and they behave in believable ways, rather than acting erratically at the whim of the script. This foundation allows us to feel for Mary-Alice and Chantelle, allowing for flaws and all. The performances of the lead characters are excellent, taking their time to build up a rapport and luxuriate in the moist, swampy atmosphere. If the tale had continued in this vein, during its second half, then this could have developed into a classic tale of emotion and need. Unfortunately it must have seemed necessary to add a little spice, bringing in external forces and shaking up the happy household a little. Not enough time is spent on scenes introducing important past history and too much on worthless diversions. Despite this, Passion Fish is an important and beguiling film, as meandering as wood-smoke and as casual as the bayou.
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