Ondine - The Girl from the Water

After the fairy tale of the Little Mermaid was recently adapted for children by Hayao Miyazaki in "Ponyo", director Neil Jordan ("Crying Game", "Interview with a Vampire") tackles the subject matter in his very own way and presents the viewer with a wonderful fairy tale for adults that scores with great images, depth of content and convincing actors.

The fisherman Syracuse (Colin Farrell) is amazed when he pulls a young woman (Alicja Bachleda-Curus) out of the sea in his net one day, along with a few fish. Actually Syracuse wants to bring his catch immediately to the hospital or to the police, but the mysterious woman, who apparently can not even remember her name, insists on staying with the fisherman. This doesn't sit well with the fisherman, who has to constantly deal with his ex-wife and take care of his seriously ill daughter Annie (Alison Barry). But Ondine, as Syracuse calls the girl from the water, exerts a tremendous attraction on the lonely fisherman and soon he believes he can feel real love again. But then the past catches up with young happiness and it seems that fairy tales are just too good to be true after all...

"Ondine - The Girl from the Water" is an engaging conglomeration of adult fairy tale, love story and family drama. Immersed in dreamlike images captured for Neil Jordan by Christopher Doyle, Wong Kar-wai's regular cinematographer, the film quickly draws viewers in. The picturesque Irish countryside seems out of this world through Doyle's camera, as does the enchanting Alicjy Bachleda-Curus ("Friendship!"). This establishes a kind of fairy-tale atmosphere, which is countered by the realistic-seeming drama surrounding Ondine's real origins and Syracuse's failed marriage.

However, Colin Farrell is thoroughly convincing as the life-scarred fisherman. To be sure, the blows of fate that Syracuse must contend with are perhaps a bit too much of a good thing. He's a dry alcoholic, financially down on his luck, his daughter is seriously ill and his ex is also giving him a hard time. But Farrell manages to imbue the Syracuse character with a certain lightness despite all this dramatic heaviness, which adds significantly to the viewing pleasure. Particularly nice are the scenes where Farrell gets to share the screen with Jordan's regular actor Stephen Rea, who has taken on a small role here as a clergyman. The confessional sequences between these two wonderful actors are undoubtedly among the acting highlights of the film.

Sure, there are moments when "Ondine - The Girl Out of Water" seems a bit laboured, and the odd length here and there also makes itself uncomfortably felt. But all in all Neil Jordan succeeded in making a very nice film, which combines dreamlike pictures and an adult love story to a fairytale-like whole. Therefore: absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp