“If you look under a microscope at one-day old larvae, you can pretty much hook anybody,” says a scientist in “Holding Back the Tide,” a film which finds the oyster to be an object of endless intrigue. A longtime source of sustenance along the shoreline of New York in both a nutritional and financial sense, director Emily Packer knew the humble mollusk was worthy of a close-up when beyond its value to the ecosystem of the ocean, it held plenty above ground as well when fortunes had been built on the sea creatures, which once were a dime a dozen and now fetch the price of a luxury good. The item itself hadn’t changed, but the value of it radically evolved over time because someone — in this case, a Black restauranteur named Thomas Downing – made it the cornerstone of fine dining in the financial district.
“Holding Back the Tide” not only makes one appreciate the economic impact the oyster could have, but Packer makes that only one part of a broader reconsideration of our entire society spurred on by looking inside the shell when seizing upon the oyster’s biological ability to acclimate to the needs of their ocean, swapping genders depending on what’s going on in the water. Packer considers a world in which such labels weren’t necessary and leads by example when formally the film has the initial thrust of a more traditional documentary, but begins to incorporate more fantastical elements from poetry to mermaids that pop up alongside oyster beds out in the water that imagine how much more exciting the world could be without outdated societal constructs. From the sea to the land, Packer explores how oysters can transform the environments around them with the passion they elicit, from those that farm them and shuck them to entire communities that have ingested them for years and now see them as a model for adaptability when facing a whole variety of concerns.
This isn’t the first time that Packer has tested the waters to thrilling effect, previously teaming with Lesley Steele on the short “By Way of Canarsie” in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to see the ruins left as a chance to rebuild towards a more equitable future from the perspective of Brooklyn locals whose individual efforts contribute to something greater than themselves and the power of collaboration can be felt in “Holding Back the Tide” as well when the director isn’t just actively encouraging it from participants, but ties disparate elements and people together to reveal connections that might not be evident without a collective view. After a celebrated festival run, the film is now headed west from its theatrical tour of the east coast, arriving this week in Los Angeles where Packer will be holding court for a number of Q & As and the director kindly took some time to answer some questions here about how the project came together, showing people in all their dimension in the film and the rewards of daring to push the envelope…