Plot Summary

Big Fish is a richly imaginative and emotionally resonant film that explores the fragile boundary between truth and storytelling through the lens of a complicated father–son relationship.

Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor), a man known for his boundless imagination and larger-than-life tales, has spent his entire life crafting stories filled with wonder, romance, and impossible adventures. In his later years, portrayed by Albert Finney, Edward faces the end of his journey, leaving behind a legacy of myths that have both enchanted and alienated his family.

His son William (Billy Crudup), struggling with the distance created by these fantastical narratives, sets out to uncover the real man behind the stories. As Will retraces his father’s incredible adventures, he begins to assemble fragments of truth hidden beneath exaggeration and metaphor, gradually discovering that reality and fiction are often inseparable.

Through its poetic structure and emotional depth, Big Fish reflects on memory, identity, and the enduring power of stories—suggesting that sometimes the way we choose to remember a life can be just as meaningful as the facts themselves.