What if a Mermaid emerged from the waters in a local village in the South of Ireland? In a somewhat similar way as in Zonad, the other Irish film in competition this year at 赌博app which features an "alien" landing in a small village, it is a fairytale that Neil Jordan offers us with Ondine.
Exploring folklore and the thin line between reality and fantasy, the film challenges the audience in testing their belief on what is reality. Neil Jordan who already explored the fantasy realm in his previous work such as The Company of Wolves (1984) and Interview With The Vampire (1994) is now offering Chinese cinema goers a film which is much more nuanced than the two previously mentioned films.
With the contribution of a magnificent cast such as Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda and Stephen Rea, the narrative unfolds progressively such as the tide washes the shore to get to a climax where our beliefs instead of remaining intact or simply being shattered simply take a different turn.
The contribution of Director of Photography Christopher Doyle (Du Ke Feng), with Ocean Heaven also in competition at 赌博app, is famous for his unequalled artistry on such films as Fallen Angels, Hero or Lady in The Water. In a similar way, Ondine opens on a long panning shot when we first come to meet the main protagonist Syracusse (Colin Farrell), a local fisherman who seems to struggle to find a meaning in life.
This is where the fairy tale starts and ultimately provides the journey and the catharsis that brings harmony and integration to his life. Although the grey Irish skies do not provide the opportunity to capture the rich colors of Hong Kong, Ondine is more like a water painting, water being the main theme of the film coincidently such as in Ocean Heaven.
We live in times when cinema tends to be bipolar; either geared toward pure entertainment or reconstructing a reality that we may no longer want to witness. In turn, our lives seem to become more illusory, perhaps as an escape from that reality. The Irish selection this year proposes both with Zonad and Ondine two distinct genres and atmospheres that deconstruct this condition and allow us, the audience, to navigate in the twilight zone where both entertainment and art can cohabit.By Patrice Poujol