Ondine (2009  111 mins) Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda

   Ondine is a nice simple modern fantasy tale of a fisherman, Syracuse, (Farrell) who finds a woman trapped in his fishing net (Bachleda) whom he believes to be a mermaid. It’s quite a delightful movie with a nice laid back slow pace, which is just perfect for story telling. It’s easier to describe it as a story then a movie. Syracuse is a fisherman who is a recovering alcoholic with a daughter and an ex-wife. He leads a simple life which revolves around being the best dad and fisherman he can be. His daughter has kidney failure and he takes her to dialysis multiple times a week. Once he tells his daughter of the tale of a water woman she begins to get curious that it’s not just a “tale” after all. From here the story picks up but it never really goes too fast and never gets too hectic.

   I enjoyed this movie b/c it never tries to get more then a story. It doesn’t fill itself with artificial conflict and never gets too complicated. Everything has a reason and a meaning afterall and you only have to slightly suspend disbelief in it. Colin Farrell has (in my opinion) come a long way as an actor. He has overcome the stigma of the bad boy and has actually started to become a good actor. From his good bit part in Crazy Heart, to a great portrayal in this movie I am impressed with his acting of late. He just does a great movie of carrying the movie almost single handedly.

Verdict–> Most people probably have not heard of this indy gem but I think most people will like it. It’s a simple fairy tale type story which is an enjoyable watch. I don’t even think it’s all that bad of a movie for over 12 or so to watch. A lot of people will like this from a good family movie to a good date movie. (Prolly not a good beer and chips movie for guys night tho!) Definitely pick this movie for a movie night.

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