Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
Print
"Ondine" at first seems a bit lost at sea, cautiously exploring the deep while struggling to find what it wants to say.
Its fairy tale premise -- a fisherman and seeming mermaid fall in love after he pulls her from the water -- is nice enough, but initially it feels too benign.
Nevertheless, writer-director Neil Jordan's delivers a mature story with characters longing for stability in a world as unsteady as the seas that surround them. And Mr. Jordan creates a refreshing universe that stands at the border between fantasy and reality -- a fairy tale grayed by the bleak shores of Ireland.
- Starring: Colin Farrell (left), Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry and Stephen Rea.
- Rating: PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and brief strong language.
The film stars Colin Farrell as Syracuse, a lonely fisherman with a rough past and weathered appearance. He's an unlucky guy on land and sea until his trawler's net catches Ondine (Alicja Bachleda), a strikingly beautiful woman who brings him good fortune. Insisting she can't be seen by other people and singing songs that draw hordes of lobsters and salmon to Syracuse's boat, Ondine is also undeniably mysterious.
Annie (Alison Barry), Syracuse's young daughter, researches Irish folklore and tells her father that Ondine is a "selkie," a sort of washed-ashore mermaid who can return to the water only after finding her lost "seal coat." Syracuse begins falling in love with Ondine just as he starts believing in this possibility -- and, of course, just as reality begins to interfere.
The story seems a bit contrived, but Mr. Jordan -- who won an Oscar in 1993 for his original screenplay "The Crying Game" (1992) -- makes it work. Aided with a twist at the end, the film resists becoming a shallow love story; instead, it evolves into an exploration of what it means to find a home. It's not new terrain, but Mr. Jordan examines the question in a unique way.
Mr. Farrell injects the divorced Syracuse with complexity. He's rugged and dirty all over, but there's a vulnerability underneath -- a sort of covered-up pain that makes redemption still possible.
Toward the movie's end, Syracuse makes an important decision that seems poorly motivated and a bit far-fetched. But it keeps the story alive, something "Ondine" struggles to do at its sluggish beginning with characters who feel underdeveloped.
Annie's preciousness can come off as overbearing and, at times, annoying. She has a debilitating kidney disease, yet instead of actually helping develop her as a character, the illness sometimes feels like a device meant to humanize the people who treat her kindly and vilify those who don't.
The film's frequent focus on Ondine's nubile body almost reaches exploitation, but perhaps her sex appeal helps the film's fantastical quality. And while at first a bit flat, Ondine and Annie do become fuller characters as the film progresses.
That's how "Ondine" develops -- assuredly, but inelegantly. Mr. Jordan may not explore ground-breaking themes, but he does offer a unique touch.
"Ondine" opens today at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont.
Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
