Rotterdam-based Gerrie (68) has lived with his second wife Rosa in the Algarve for years, but is still officially registered in the Netherlands. Gerrie, formerly a bus driver, is a COPD patient who goes to Rotterdam yearly for his medical checkups and other routine visits. He then stays with his Cape Verdean stepdaughter and also reunites with his son Dick (45), who is at odds with himself and the rest of the world. Gerrie has been closing his eyes and ears to his son’s issues for years. Dick always expects too much from the brief reunion with his father and wants quality time. This year, the threat hangs in the air, and it could well be Gerrie’s last visit to the Netherlands.

Three Days of Fish selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025 is an intimate and tragicomic black-and-white film that subtly explores the strained relationship between father and son. While Gerrie focuses primarily on his medical appointments and routine, Dick hopes for a deeper connection. But how do you find rapprochement when there’s hardly any real talk for years? With modest acting by Ton Kas and Guido Pollemans and an atmospheric Rotterdam as a backdrop, director Peter Hoogendoorn brings a recognizable and moving story about family, expectations and missed opportunities.