Ondine

A fantasy (though unfortunately not fantastic) romantic film with a very particular atmosphere, something between a gloomy Nordic drama and a mystical fairytale. I’m not a great fan of fairytales, but Ondine captivated me in a particular way, right from the first scene, and for the rest of the film I had no problem believing in mermaids, water nymphs, water sprites, and other fairytale creatures, and I was almost sad that it ends the way it does. But well, back to reality; it was a nice trip, though. (09/01/2010)

Once upon a time... a fisherman caught a girl in his fishing net. The girl didn’t want to be seen by anyone, her singing attracted the fish and good luck smiled on the fisherman for the first time. A very moderate Collin Farrell (I think he says fuck only once during the entire movie), a beautiful Alicja Bachleda and a fairy tale that takes place in the real world. A very nice story. (08/18/2010)

A film of two different planes. While the first is a pleasantly mysterious, weaving and romantic tale of two atypical characters interacting with each other, the second deals the cards on the table all too quickly and in an ordinary way. Some of the characters are very interesting (especially the two protagonists), some are downright annoying and generic – those typically boisterous characters of a harsh small town, who slap something here and there and then, purely by chance, play a key role in a scene that happens as if by accident. But you will remember the setting of untamed Ireland and Alicja Bachleda even after the closing credits. (12/18/2017)

A modern (non)fairy tale, which almost kept me thinking: What would Terry Gilliam do with this subject matter? Would it have looked this ordinary under his leadership? Would it be so unpleasantly predictable? Would it be that empty? And boring? Definitely not. But you know what? Terry Gilliam probably wouldn't want to make anything like this. So we can thank Neil Jordan for at least a relaxing spectacle that went by quickly, looked good and had some nice music playing in it. (01/27/2012)

Beautiful and poetic story that is greatly enhanced by the setting of a seaside town. The fisherman catches his mermaid and things start happening. Beautiful and less beautiful things, but his life is definitely changing. Neil Jordan manages to hold the charm, thanks mainly to the perfectly chosen actors, with the absolutely incredible Alison Barry in the role of Colin Farrell's daughter. The film will captivate you with a kind story that shows the difficult fate of some people as it is. It's not pathetic, even though the essence of the film is a fairy tale. (03/13/2014)