Director Neil Jordan has made some fantastic movies, some of the well known and others not quite so. From INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE to MONA LISA, his films are never boring and always offer more story than most. Such is the case with his latest to hit DVD, ONDINE.
Colin Farrell stars as Syracuse, Circus to his friends due to his clownish attitude when he was once a raging alcoholic. Sober for over two years, Syracuse is a fisherman in a small town off the coast of Ireland. Miraculously one day he reels in his net to find a woman (Alicja Bachleda) there along with the fish. Fortunately she’s alive and he takes her back with him. But for some reason she insists that he not take her to a hospital or let anyone see her.
Syracuse answers her requests and takes her to a secluded bay where his late mother’s house remains. Allowing her to stay there she tells him when asked that her name is Ondine, which means "she came from the sea". Unsure of what to do, Syracuse leaves to take care of an important meeting he’s late for.
That meeting is taking his daughter to the hospital for treatment. Annie (Allison Barry) is an intelligent 10 year old whose kidneys are failing her. Syarcuse is a doting father who sits with her through the entire treatment. When he volunteers to tell her a story during the treatment, she makes him follow through and he begins a tale of a fisherman who casts his net only to haul in a mermaid, a selkie in Celtic mythology.
While Syracuse returns to the cottage where Ondine is, Annie thinks there is more to his story than just a tall tale and begins doing research on the selkie. At the same time, Ondine insists on going out with Syracuse fishing the next day. For some reason when she sings, Syracuse seems to reel in more fish than he ever has before. Could she truly be a mermaid?
While Annie makes a secret trip to the cottage and gets the chance to meet Ondine, Syracuse makes a stop at the local church. From time to time, he spends time in the confessional talking to the priest there (Stephen Rea). He opens up to him not as a priest but as someone he can talk to, reveal himself to, knowing that it won’t turn into gossip. The bond between these two is felt throughout the movie, though one gets the idea that Syracuse is not a regular churchgoer.
As the story progresses, Annie grows attached to Ondine. Time spent with her results in a secret that the two share, something found in the water that Ondine buries that will come into play near the end of the film when the magic turns to more dark reality.
Annie isn’t the only one who grows fond of Ondine. Syracuse falls in love with her as well. Not only does he fall for her, he feels that perhaps her being with him brings a certain amount of good fortune too. And being a man whose lost all hope, it also brings about a distinct amount of fear in him as well, fear that something bad is coming. Could there be something in Ondine’s past that will return to plague them? Or is she really magical?
The combination of fantasy and dark reality make for interesting viewing with this film. As with most films Jordan has made, the story is never rushed or the film padded with unnecessary chases or fights to lengthen it or make it move faster. Jordan instead tells a story in a smooth fashion that for some will seem slow given the frenetic pace of most movies today. But in giving the movie a chance, you’ll find that story truly does matter.
Farrell does a commendable job as Syracuse, a man without hope who fears for his daughter, who has allowed himself to be put down for years for the things he did in his past. We get only glimpses of those things in word and action, but somehow Farrell gives us more information with a shrug or attitude than we might get with a long winded monologue.
Both Alicja Bachleda and Annie Barry are wonderful in their roles here. They may not have garnered the name recognition that Farrell has but given the opportunity both could become major stars.
The movie presents a gorgeous look at Ireland and the seaside town where it was filmed. It presents a tale that draws you in rather than slaps you around. And it takes time to let that story unfold. Jordan has always been a storyteller. And with ONDINE, he remains one of the best.
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