I’m a big fan of the Irish actor Colin Farrell (of In Bruges and, lately, of The Banshees of Inisherin). In 2009 he starred in a film titled Ondine, written and directed by Neil Jordan.
Circus (a nickname. His real name is Syracuse.) is a fisherman off the coast of Ireland. One day he is on his boat, pulling the nets up, when he sees that one of the nets has a drowned woman in it. In a panic he examines her, finds she is still alive, and hurries her into port to a hospital. He has no idea who she is or why she was in his net. When she recovers, she will give him no information about her identity or her fate…except for her name: Ondine. Circus finally decides that she must be a selkie…one of the mythical Scots seal-women who also swim off the coasts of Ireland. Selkies have been part of the lore of those two countries for millennia. It is believed that, if they come ashore and abandon their sealskin, they may not ever be able to return to the sea, despite her having hidden it by burying it. Often, the selkie in this situation falls in love with a human landsman, and this is exactly what happens between Ondine and Circus.
The film follows the myth (placed in modern times) faithfully, and keeps Ondine’s actual identity from us until the very end. A selkie? Maybe not. Maybe so.
Even when Farrell is silent, when the camera is on him, you are with him and his heart. This is the story of a lonely man whose soul is in the sea, where he finds the love for which he has always been searching. Farrell makes the search…and the discovery… memorable
You can find Ondine on Amazon PrimeVideo. Here’s the trailer.
…a free, or a paid, subscription. Your choice.
yes, she is. be mindful