Ondine

Ondine, a beautiful modern retelling of the ancient Irish selkie story, captures the ambiguity of a myth blurring with reality. Written and directed by Neil Jordan, the story follows the life of fisherman Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who pulls a mysterious and enchanting woman (Alicja Bachleda) out of the sea in one of his nets. She gives herself the name ‘Ondine’ meaning “she came from the sea” and Syracuse’s daughter Annie (Alison Barry) begins to believe that Ondine is in fact a selkie and her powers are bringing the family good fortune.

The greatest part of the movie is the story Neil Jordan weaves that asks us to question whether the selkie myth could exist in reality or whether it is a string of unbelievable coincidences. The plot twists lead us on and on and even in the end we still cannot be entirely sure what the truth is. As the story progresses we get to watch the growing bond between Syracuse and Ondine, as well as Ondine and Annie, which is acted out tenderly and wonderfully.

Making a movie like Ondine look gorgeous wouldn’t be too hard with two beautiful lead actors set along the scenic waterfront of Ireland. But the cinematography itself is incredible. That blurring between myth and reality extends into the camera work which also explores that similar feeling of unknowing. There are shots where we only get glimpses of things we can recognize; in particular as the camera bobs up and down in the ocean and we can feel the selkie’s tug between two worlds. As the end of movie draws to conclusion and we come closer to the reality of the situation the camera work, as well as the texture of the film, becomes much harsher and critical; everything feels less soft as we are shown the truth.

All of the acting is well done, especially by newcomer Alison Barry, who provides most the humor and spark to the film and keeps up easily with Colin Farrell and his superstar power; her character keeps him humble. Both Bachleda and Farrell do wonderful jobs and it’s nice to Farrell in a more tentative and gentle role. Though for those of us without an ear for Irish dialect, the dialogue can be a little tough to follow.

The weakest part of the movie is the end, which after the build up a beautiful story seems to be a bit hasty, but a longer runtime and we might tire and grow frustrated with the mystical dream state of the film. But this is little to complain about when the rest of the movie is as tantalizing, mysterious and alluring as the mystical selkie herself.

Catch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80HzX8UGEKM