bon6417 I did not expect this... SUPER film which is a hidden gem. So enjoyed the story- gives hope for the lost soul's of the world. A must see for anyone who enjoys luck and tragedy crossing paths and resulting in a feel good ending. I would buy this in a heartbeat.I was intrigued from the beginning and can see why it was nominated for awards. Have no idea why it did not do better in the box office? Perhaps this was just not marketed correctly...For parents... the rating is about right. Young teens would probably enjoy this, but may be a hair heavy for the under 10 crowd. Final note- I would watch it again and enjoy it just the same if not more.

GeoPierpont The Irish setting and the 'selkie' were the impressive stars of this film. Thankfully, I had closed captions to comprehend the script due to light volume and heavy accents. It was a lovely composition of sea, fantasy, beauty, with limited melodrama. I was unaware of this myth and was intrigued to see this concept developed with unexpected plot twists.Colin is a favorite actor and can overcome many questionable elements that compromise a quality film. I found the chemistry between Syra and Ondine quiet and reserved but extremely stirring. How could they curtail the interactions most expected from your typical Hollywood production? Certainly to Colin's chagrin and audience members! Many times when life turns on a dime it's actually a positive direction and correlated to meeting that one person who makes all the difference, albeit with subtlety. The hope and faith that collapses over time is transformed to a shining bright star and breathtaking to witness. Art mimics life and this film is a delight for confirmation.High recommend for Ireland sea landscape exposition and the 'selkie' fantasy extrapolation.

Tom Smith Ondine was so disappointing primarily because I couldn't understand 90% of what was said due to the excessively strong accents. The strong accents may have been accurate, but most of the English speaking population aren't familiar with such strong accents.There were several great actors in Ondine, so I was really looking forward to watching it. Unfortunately, not being familiar with the "strongest" of Irish accents (and I'm part Irish) I just couldn't understand what many and especially Colin Farrell were saying. It sounded like mumbling.Today movies can easily be made for the general population and incorporate mechanisms to help facilitate the audience easily understanding the message. The subtitling in Avatar is a great example. They did everything possible to make the subtitling easy and quick to read. Many movies "don't care" if you can read the subtitles or see in the dark scene or understand what was said or not.My point is that it's LAZINESS on the part of the movie maker if they don't put any effort in broadening the appeal to the audience. In the case of Ondine, you can have a "strong" accent but still have it understandable by the general populous.

perkypops Fairy tales are supposed to be divorced from reality but Neil Jordan comes up with a delicious piece of storytelling and cinema which has elements of fantasy and reality.Superbly acted and directed 'Ondine' revels in the simplicity of being human where a good story can, in the right hands, be the most satisfying of entertainment. The whole cast does well, in particular the three main leads, Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, and Alison Barry.The story centres upon an alcoholic fisherman, his catch, and he and his young daughter's observations about his catch, and it is told with startling cinematography, haunting music, building ideas in our minds just as any good story should. As Annie, the fisherman's daughter would have it, her father's story "is s***e", but, nonetheless, we are still captivated and so, apparently, is Annie! Neil Jordan even manages meaningful diversions intended to either knock our fantasy about or confuse our reality and leave us wondering what is next. Yes it is flawed in places but what storytelling isn't? What this film has in bucket loads is personality.See this film please, it is just too good to miss.