ONDINE is a lyrical modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his nets. His daughter Annie (Alison Barry) comes to believe that the woman is a magical creature, while Syracuse falls helplessly in love. However, like all fairy tales, enchantment and darkness go hand in hand. Written and directed by Neil Jordan -and shot against the Irish coast’s magical backdrop by cinematographer Christopher Doyle - ONDINE is a story of love, hope and the unwavering belief in the impossible.
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"Neil Jordan's delivers a quaint mixture of small-town comedy, serious fantasy thriller in Ondine"
Neil Jordan's delivers a quaint mixture of small-town comedy, serious fantasy thriller in Ondine. Colin Farrell brings his hangdog charm to a sad divorced, alcoholic fisherman eking out a slim living in a corner of Ireland. One day his usually empty net is filled by a beautiful dying girl (Alicja Bachleda), whom he brings back to port and falls in love with. Is she an illegal immigrant, is she a mermaid or is she a selkie, a legendary creature that's a seal in the water and assumes human form on land?
You sense that Jordan, obsessively referring to dreams and fairytales, would much rather not have to look his audience in the eye and come clean. As the film reluctantly chooses to put away childish things and explain itself, it suddenly lurches into a rational conclusion complete with fights and guns and pile-ups. Maybe it’s the on location homecoming for Farrell, but rarely is he in this top form in an understated yet captivating performance.
Ondine engages you with its a beautifully magical charm, my disappointment was in that the last twenty minutes - it all turned a bit unnecessarily conventional. I left with a pleasant feeling and appreciation for the film, I cared for all the important characters but I unfortunately I was never deeply deeply moved.