Any cryptozoology fans expecting Ondine to be an Irish indie version of Splash, be forewarned: you won't find any tail in this picture. Well, not of the mer-person kind.
Instead, director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, The Brave One) serves up a simple family drama centered around a fisherman named Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who nets a beautiful woman who may or may not be a legendary selkie (a mermaid/seal/hot woman combo). Syracuse rescues the woman (who insists she remains hidden and referred to as "Ondine") and nurtures her back to health, all while trying to care for his handicapped daughter, his slow fishing business and his alcoholic ex-wife. Oh, and the girl may or may not be a magical creature of the sea. It's a family drama...with a mythological twist!
Unfortunately, Ondine never escapes its recognizable story - will Syrcause find a kidney for his daughter? Can he escape his alcoholic past? Why does Ondine keep mooching off him? - but it's made up for by a solid performance by the underappreciated Farrell, Kjartan Sveinsson's (of Sigur Ros) ethereal score and the skillful direction by Jordan, whose camerawork and use of overlapping scenes work to disguise Ondine's somewhat flakey premise. It's a film that could drop Hollywood conventions, but still insists on having "bad guys".
The real reason to catch Ondine? Top-notch cinematography by Christopher Doyle, the lighting guru behind Hero, Lady in the Water and many a Wong Kar-wai film. Flawed or not, it's easy to be won over by the misty coast of southwestern Ireland.
Ondine is conventional, but not without charm. If you can't find a big blanket and a hot cub of tea, the movie might be the next best thing.
