Battle of the Shells

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These aren't just any fish: they are the smallest cichlids in the world and arguably the smartest of all fish. They inhabit the vast shell-beds of Lake Tanganyika and developed a unique colony behavior to balance their small size. The range and complexity of their behaviors and emotions is only rivaled by some large social mammals and that's not something one would expect from a fish. Chapter 1 is the strangest and most endearing of the 7 chapters. Pemba, a young female is thrown into an empty and strange environment. During the first days, she quickly learns the advantage of living alone. All the chapters are narrated by Pemba herself. She is very lyrical and nostalgic in her speech, as she looks back at her life at the time of the film. But she is especially nostalgic about a place she never saw: Lake Tanganyika, which she refers to as "the Great Lake". She marvels at the beauty of her set, but she longs for company. But, as she says to herself at the beginning of the 2nd chapter, "Beware of what you ask for, because it may be granted".