Ondine Movie Review

Ondine (2009)

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Written by: Neil Jordan
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Starring: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Dervla Kirwan, Tony Curran, Stephen Rea
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
An Irish fisherman discovers a woman in his fishing net whom his precocious daughter believes to be a selkie.

Verdict
This is an odd movie as we wonder if this is a fairy tale or not. It certainly seems to be going that way. It's a sweet tale of how this father and daughter discover something magical. When this reveals what's going on, I was impressed at how deftly this shifts. While it took a few contrivances to get us there, it's easy to forgive the movie as this is so poignant.
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Review
The movie wastes no time getting to the plot when Syracuse (Colin Farrell) finds a woman named Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) in his fishing net. She doesn't want anyone to see her and doesn't want to go to the hospital. He provides her a place to stay, wanting to help her but unsure of what else to do.

Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda play Syracuse, Ondine

Syracuse tells his daughter Annie the story of the woman he found and she thinks it's a fairy tale. It certainly seems to be the case despite the odds. Annie begins researching selkies, creatures that can morph between a seal and human. Annie soon finds Ondine, and it certainly seems like like Ondine could be this mythological creature. Ondine never confirms nor does she deny it. Bolstering the belief, with Ondine on his boat, Syracuse has great luck fishing.

I wondered where this goes. Syracuse and Annie both become attached to Ondine, and Ondine seemingly to them. It's a modern fairy tale with the clues adding up, but would it address the harsh realities of the real world? No one would believe Syracuse anyway. He's the local town screw-up and not highly regarded.

This takes a turn I didn't expect, and it's certainly a more plausible turn. There's certainly a number of coincidences that border on trickery in this story, but it's such a heartfelt and touching story that it's easy to forgive those contrivances. This manages to be a modern fairy tale while still being realistic.