Review of Ondine (2010) by Maksim B — 10 Oct 2011

Mystic, charmingly romantic and melancholic, Ondine is an outstanding fairytale for adults. A smooth blend of fantasy and desperate reality this is by no means the finest Irish cinematographic export since The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

This extremely delicate movie tells the romance between an Irish fisherman and a young mysterious caught in his fishnet. The love story between two broken people is an unexplainable mixture of Irish folk magic and desperate realism, of desire for a better life and fear of the dark past. Slowly, but steadily, director Neil Jordan builds up a tender tension which elegantly switches the initial feeling of magic into a realistic drama towards the final quarter of the movie.

Even though the story is uneven at some points, and the switch from the beautiful magic to the hard to swallow nasty reality may be hard to chew, Neil Jordan has managed to keep the impossible romance alive. He receives the outstanding support of Colin Farrell whose tender and lyrical performance is simply superb. Easily, this is the most significant Farell's delivery since In Bruges.

Ondine is not a movie for everyone,it is not a perfect movie either. But those searching for a piece of Irish magic would be definitely satisfied.