Life is full of changes, and how we react and handle these changes defines who we are as individuals. In Swim Little Fish Swim—a charmingly introspective independent French film—a young couple deals with their strained marriage while raising their young daughter as they deal with changes and challenges in their lives.

Mary (Brooke Blum) and Leeward (Dustin Guy Defa) live in a one-room apartment in Chinatown in New York City with their daughter Maggie (Olivia Costello), affectionately nicknamed Rainbow by her father. Clearly, life isn’t easy for the family, and Mary works long as hours as a nurse to pay the bills while Leeward struggles with his music career.

The film, which has made a limited theatrical release, has premiered at many film festivals, including SXSW in Austin in 2013 and the GenArt Film Festival in New York City, also in 2013, where the it won awards for Best Directing, Best Film and Best Male Actor. Written and directed by emerging artistic duo Ruben Amar and Lola Bessis, Swim Little Fish Swim is a visually compelling story that leaves audiences invested in the lives of the characters while questioning their own journey as well.

The film starts with a focus on Lilas, played by Bessis, a struggling French artist trying to find her way in New York City while her overbearing mother—who is also a renown artist—demands she return home. Lilas, however, refuses to give up her work and decides to stay in the city after an art dealer says he can put her visual art in an upcoming exhibit. With no place to stay, Lilas ends up sleeping in Mary and Leeward’s living room.

In the beginning of the film, Mary’s bleak and sterile setting at the hospital where she works offers a stark contrast to the vibrant and musical atmosphere of their apartment, where Leeward is home playing music and socializing with an eclectic mix of people. From the start, Mary and Leeward represent two different phases in life, one who has grown up and gotten a “real” job and one who clings to youth. Leeward refuses to take a high-paying job writing music for a commercial because he sees it as selling out to capitalism and losing his sense of self as an artist. Both actors deliver excellent performances in their respective roles and capture the delicate combination of stressful tension and brief moments of a love that is nearly forgotten.

Maggie, even at three years old, is an excellently developed character, and Costello’s performance steals many scenes. She seems to be both at the center of the film and the outlier because the film deals with adult themes while constantly pulling itself back to the innocent life of the child. Maggie’s presence is a constant reminder of youth to her father and a reminder of responsibility to her mother.

Lilas is the true embodiment of what it means to be a struggling artist in New York City—wandering with purpose, absorbing everything and everyone you meet, driven by a desire to have your voice and art be heard. Bessis delivers the character with ease, which makes sense because she too is a budding artist. It was also interesting how intertwined the creation of Lilas’ video art project was with the actual film, as Lilas filmed the characters to piece together her work.

According to a press release for the film written by its directors, “Swim Little Fish Swim is about the difficulties of achieving personal and artistic fulfillment and the desire to be accepted and recognized by the people we love.”As filmmakers who had previously worked together on a short film, Checkpoint, Amar and Bessis identified with the three main characters’ struggle to achieve, whether it is Mary’s dream of buying a house, Lilas’ determination of being called a real artist or Leeward’s avoidance of selling out to capitalism.

By putting Lilas, Mary and Leeward in the same cramped space, the directors hoped to capture a moment where their lives would fall into place because of their interactions. Whether or not they achieved this, however, is subjective because the viewer is left not knowing where the characters truly end up in life.

Swim Little Fish Swim is filled with perplexing little moments that all add up to a single moment that changes everything.

By taking such a close look into the lives of the three main characters, the film simultaneously tells an enchanting, raw story while exploring the themes of life we all ponder. Though its reach may be limited, Swim Little Fish Swim is a creative gem that I’m glad I discovered.