Ondine (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dean M

  
  I respond well to movies with honesty and heart, and <i>Ondine</i> has plenty of both. Set in an Irish fishing town, you can also feel the love and respect of the filmmaker for the rugged and beautiful setting. The performances are excellent, with especially good work by… More
  I respond well to movies with honesty and heart, and <i>Ondine</i> has plenty of both. Set in an Irish fishing town, you can also feel the love and respect of the filmmaker for the rugged and beautiful setting. The performances are excellent, with especially good work by the the young Alison Barry playing the part of Colin Farrell's daughter, who suffers from kidney failure and must undergo regular dialysis (reminded me of the early work of Dakota Fanning). The film's "feel" is a bit darker than I expected, making the injections of wry Irish humor in Colin's confessions to the priest (played by Stephen Rea) even more enjoyable. The script keeps you wondering until very near the end, "Is this really a modern fairy tale, or is there a more earthly explanation?"

• Conner R

  
  Niel Jordan's take on the fairytale genre is completely the opposite of what you'd expect. Mainly because it doesn't mind being one for the most part. The only real criticism that is given to the Knight in Shining Armor/Damsel in Distress scenario is that everyone has a… More
  Niel Jordan's take on the fairytale genre is completely the opposite of what you'd expect. Mainly because it doesn't mind being one for the most part. The only real criticism that is given to the Knight in Shining Armor/Damsel in Distress scenario is that everyone has a past; these people had lives before they fell in love. With Colin Farrell's Syracuse, we basically see his weaknesses from the start, but Ondine's are a lot more misleading and complex. In terms of its physical beauty, Ondine is one powerful looking movie. The cinematography is either something people will love or hate, but I definitely saw it as a thing of mastery. It does a great job of setting up the mood for the story. The thing about Ondine is that it's a highly optimistic story set in an extremely hopeless world and it's executed in a way that you know that without anyone having to tell you straight out. The character interaction and development of Syracuse and Ondine's relationship is presented in a completely flawless way. Maybe that is in part due to the fact that Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda are so undeniably in love; it's chemistry that you just can't buy. Now a lot of people might have trouble accepting Ondine for what it is and what it wants to do, but if you take the time to invest into the characters and story it's hard to not be impressed.

• Jennifer X

  
  Ondine's story is a little tiny wisp of a narrative strand, but it's so beautiful and magical I almost can't stand it.

• Cynthia S

  
  Apparently Colin Farrell has a better pick of movies when they come from his country. This one included. This is a beautifully done film - half fairy tale, half hard life. He is excellent as the fractured hero, and Alicja Bachleda is fabulous and beautiful. The young girl did an… More
  Apparently Colin Farrell has a better pick of movies when they come from his country. This one included. This is a beautifully done film - half fairy tale, half hard life. He is excellent as the fractured hero, and Alicja Bachleda is fabulous and beautiful. The young girl did an excellent job, also. The score is entrancing. I really enjoyed this, even though the accents were so heavy it was hard to understand at times. But, all in all, I managed..

• jay n

  
  Dull and so darkly lit that half the film is hard to see.

• Sajin P

  
  This was a surprisingly entertaining movie with an entire new take on the fairy tale genre. Will be a spoiler if I write about the exact nature of this fairy tale. A must watch.

• Bruce B

  
  This is an excellent movie; a fisherman catches a woman in his net while trawling. He brings her aboard his boat and revives her, puts her a shore at her Mothers home, see doesn't want to be seen, the fisherman's daughter is told the story about this magical women taken from… More
  This is an excellent movie; a fisherman catches a woman in his net while trawling. He brings her aboard his boat and revives her, puts her a shore at her Mothers home, see doesn't want to be seen, the fisherman's daughter is told the story about this magical women taken from the sea, who sings to the fishes. The daughter makes her into a legendary Selkie, who has magical powers, can bring good luck, and also grant wishes. Very good film almost family except for the making love scene between Ondine and the fisherman. But as with a fairytales there is a more factual but you will have to watch to find out what those facts are. 5 Stars

• Carlos M

  
  Though flawed in a few aspects, this minor film balances well between melancholic and poetic, and it seems to tell more about the viewer than the characters themselves. There will probably be diverse feelings about the resolution depending on if you are more of a realist or a… More
  Though flawed in a few aspects, this minor film balances well between melancholic and poetic, and it seems to tell more about the viewer than the characters themselves. There will probably be diverse feelings about the resolution depending on if you are more of a realist or a romantic.

• Rico Z

  
  A subtle, beautifully touching film that isn't what you would expect. It has great performances and a solid script. Also, the score is one of my favorite parts about this movie--both gentle and whimsical with the right dosages of each.

• Drew S

  
  Ondine isn't anything special one way or another. I sort of class it alongside Enduring Love and, more recently, Little Fish as something that aesthetically or thematically means more to me than most films despite its shortcomings. It's misty, dense and full of longing - you… More
  Ondine isn't anything special one way or another. I sort of class it alongside Enduring Love and, more recently, Little Fish as something that aesthetically or thematically means more to me than most films despite its shortcomings. It's misty, dense and full of longing - you can't begrudge the movie its atmosphere. The human conflicts ensconced in the fairy tale framing are like parting a wall of fog to find nothing but trash behind it, though perhaps harsh speaks better of the film's misanthropy than ugly. Movies with shoegaze-centered aural construction combined with difficult social situations seem to do it for me.

• Jake .

  
  The Little Mermaid has always been one of my favorite Disney movies. I think part of that comes from the sense of longing that permeates the entire story, that need to experience something different, that feeling of not belonging in your life. There is also that incredible, optimistic… More
  The Little Mermaid has always been one of my favorite Disney movies. I think part of that comes from the sense of longing that permeates the entire story, that need to experience something different, that feeling of not belonging in your life. There is also that incredible, optimistic faith in humanity and the promise of eternal love. These things are probably part of why the Disney's Mermaid has proved just as, or more, enduring than the original. Ondine builds on these same ideas. The actual story has the undertones of an Irish legend. However, that is not something I'm familiar with and most of the publicity has hailed the film as a 'modern Little Mermaid' anyway. In a way, though, the roles are reversed. Neither Syracuse or Annir are satisfied with their lives, they feel incomplete and need something more from life. Ondine brings that magic and purpose to their lives. They create a family and you can feel that the three together need each other to be complete. This is what all the versions of the story boil down to - finding who you belong to and what is important, whether it is from the original, or Disney's, or Ponyo, or now Ondine - I think it is probably part of why the story has proved the enduring.

• Greg S

  
  An Irish fisherman (Colin Farrel) brings up a girl in his nets while trawling in the bay one day---is she a selkie? Fantastic photography, good script, serious dramatic acting from Farrel and crew, but it takes itself so seriously that it ends up feeling arthouse-routine and… More
  An Irish fisherman (Colin Farrel) brings up a girl in his nets while trawling in the bay one day---is she a selkie? Fantastic photography, good script, serious dramatic acting from Farrel and crew, but it takes itself so seriously that it ends up feeling arthouse-routine and unmagical.

• Manu G

  
  Pathetically Boring!!! This was hard to watch seriously, this was one of the most boring films ever!!! ONDINE is a lyrical modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman… More
  Pathetically Boring!!! This was hard to watch seriously, this was one of the most boring films ever!!! ONDINE is a lyrical modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his nets. She says her name is Ondine, which means "she came from the sea". His daughter Annie (Alison Barry) comes to believe that the woman is a selkie, a magical seal/woman creature, while Syracuse falls helplessly in love. In the Celtic myth, a selkie is able to become human by taking off her seal coat, and can return to seal form by putting it back on. However, like all fairy tales, enchantment and darkness go hand in hand. Annie hopes that Ondine has come to live on land for 7 years and that she can use her selkie wish to cure Annie's kidney failure. Whenever Ondine is onboard Syracuse's fishing boat, she sings a siren song, and his nets and lobster pots are full of fish and seafood in tremendous numbers hard to believe. However, being Irish, Syracuse (or "Circus" the nickname he is trying to outlive, one he has earned for his previous hard drinking ways) is mistrustful of good luck, with it comes bad. Is Ondine really a selkie, will she stay, can love be trusted? What is Ondine's real secret? And who is the menacing man lurking around town spying on her? Is he her selkie husband come to claim her back to the sea?

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Tony Curran, Tom Archdeacon, Stephen Rea, Dervla Kirwan, Alison Barry, Emil Hostina, Norma Sheahan, Don Wycherley Director: Neil Jordan Summary: An Irish fisherman (Colin Farrell) hauls in an unexpected catch when a mysterious girl (Alicja… More
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Tony Curran, Tom Archdeacon, Stephen Rea, Dervla Kirwan, Alison Barry, Emil Hostina, Norma Sheahan, Don Wycherley Director: Neil Jordan Summary: An Irish fisherman (Colin Farrell) hauls in an unexpected catch when a mysterious girl (Alicja Bachleda) gets tangled in his nets and soon affects the lives of everyone around her in this fantastical seaside tale from director Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire). Is it possible this beautiful stranger is a mythical sea nymph who's been summoned from the ocean's depths ... or is she something far more common? My Thoughts: "Interesting storyline and some decent characters. Colin was good in this. I really enjoyed the young actress Alison Barry. She was quite good to be so young. Reminded me of a young Dakota Fanning. New comer (well new to me) Alicja Bachleda was good in this as well. There is some humor, but in the end a great little gritty fairy tale. It's worth the rental. Plus the scenery of the Ireland valley is gorgeous throughout this film."

• Left J

  
  "Interesting, dark, thoughtful and melancholic..." Ondine, produced by Neil Jordan, is a story about a fisherman by the name of Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who one day fishes from the sea a beautiful "woman" (Alicja Bachleda) who apparently lost her memory but… More
  "Interesting, dark, thoughtful and melancholic..." Ondine, produced by Neil Jordan, is a story about a fisherman by the name of Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who one day fishes from the sea a beautiful "woman" (Alicja Bachleda) who apparently lost her memory but keeps a more. She wants to be called Ondine since Ondine is "the one who came out from the waters first". The chemistry between Syracuse and Ondine exist and you witness a surprisingly true story of love between these 2 characters. In his journey to understand her he realizes she is nothing but the selkie (half-human half-seal who loves to sing) the locals knew from the story about "the fisherman and the girl in the net". Annie, a girl who suffers from a kidney failure disease, is Syracuse daughter and she keeps a strong balance between his father and Ondine but things get interesting when a special villain infiltrates in the story who tries to deceive and destroy all the hope that surrounds these two lovers. The story gets deeper and deeper especially into the second part of the movie where Syracuse is frightened that Ondine will haunt him forever and then the emotional conflicts begin. Other than that the ending contains twists that make the fairytale seem ... real in a real world. The story is beautiful but it has it's points where you could skip like about 2-3 mins because nothing really happens or the dialogue is poor written but still that doesn't change the fact that the movie might get interesting once you're going through it. I never read the fairytale nor I saw other adaptations of Ondine but this one made it clear for me that this is a great movie to watch in a lazy afternoon all alone especially if you're going through melancholic times. Like I said the acting was well mostly because the characters are written well and the chemistry exists between each pair though the Vladic (the villain) was kind of lame. The movie has a surprisingly good cinematography and the soundtrack fits the weird-fantasy atmosphere. I don't recommend this movie to everyone because it's not a movie for everyone simply because some won't understand it or some will bash it considering it boring or slow-paced but if you're into love tales or journeys into thoughtful worlds then this is the movie for you. Storyline: 7,5/10. Acting: 7/10. Art Direction: 6/10. Cinematography: 7/10. Score: 6,5/10. =============== Overall: 6,8

• Walter M

  
  "Ondine" starts with Syracuse(Colin Farrell, who is very good by the way), an recovering alcoholic and divorced fisherman, finding a young woman(Alicja Bachleda) unconscious in one of his nets, before giving her the kiss of life. Strangely enough, she insists on not being… More
  "Ondine" starts with Syracuse(Colin Farrell, who is very good by the way), an recovering alcoholic and divorced fisherman, finding a young woman(Alicja Bachleda) unconscious in one of his nets, before giving her the kiss of life. Strangely enough, she insists on not being taken to a hospital and kept out of view of strangers, so he deposits her in his mother's old cottage where she takes the nom de la mer of Ondine. In the meantime, he tells a story of selkies to his daughter Annie(Alison Barry) while she receives her dialysis which makes her "curioser and curioser" about the truth behind the story. All of which Syracuse tells to a priest(Stephen Rea) in confession who reminds him that this is not an AA meeting. "Ondine" is a leisurely paced bit of magic realism that does a fine job of exploring the power behind stories. Christopher Doyle's artful cinematography keeps the mood subdued while writer-director Neil Jordan's touch is so exact that he even handles the cliches well. While some people might feel we create our own luck, that does not mean others cannot find the upside of life like Annie who who has no trouble getting around town in a motorized wheelchair, even if she cannot pop wheelies on it. And Ondine signifies an injection of fresh air into these characters' lives.

• Mike N

  
  This film takes an interesting aim on the fairytale reality approach, with the man-meets-woman-by-fishing-her-out-of-the-water intro. Time-tested, that. Still, there's a quiet ache and tone poem quality to the film's first 10 to 15 minutes, especially given the charming… More
  This film takes an interesting aim on the fairytale reality approach, with the man-meets-woman-by-fishing-her-out-of-the-water intro. Time-tested, that. Still, there's a quiet ache and tone poem quality to the film's first 10 to 15 minutes, especially given the charming setting of a quaint, yet mangy, Irish fishing village. But Ondine begins to decay soon thereafter, mostly at the hands of - gasp - a little girl in a wheelchair! Courtesy of her emotionless line delivery, the audience is thrust into exposition on the particular fairytale we're watching, laying out all the rules and yada yada yada. Colin Farrell and the hottie mystery girl are mere characters in this yarn the little girl has already conquered. The film becomes rather rote for its bulk, losing the warm cadence from its foggy beginnings and sullying a fine premise with one-dimensionality (a commonality in fairytales, I concede, but not ones grounded in reality) and a whiff of domestic drama. This knowing of the tale gives the film a little buffer of self-awareness that it more than chews away as it guides us down the predictable turns of the story. Ondine does get some credit, however, for establishing the town itself as a character with more life than most of the actual humans. A needed dose of reality helps the film rise from its sinking depths, but even that drags longer than necessary. And Ondine, which could've been as beautiful and enchanting as the lovely Irish tunes garnishing the experience, never really gets itself untangled from its own net.

• Sol C

  
  Wonderful film. Neil Jordan does a great job directing wise here. The film kind of reminded me of movies like Overboard, Splash, and Enchanted. Colin Farrell does a great job acting wise. Alison Barry is wonderful as Colin's daughter in the film. Alicja Bachleda is great as… More
  Wonderful film. Neil Jordan does a great job directing wise here. The film kind of reminded me of movies like Overboard, Splash, and Enchanted. Colin Farrell does a great job acting wise. Alison Barry is wonderful as Colin's daughter in the film. Alicja Bachleda is great as Ondine. She kind of reminds me of Keira Knightly. Stephen Rea is great as the Priest. The only negative is the finale is kind of too dark both tone wise and lighting wise. I did like the music score and the songs in the movie. I definitely recommend this film.

• Dedy N C

  
  I enjoy watvhing this movie, Fishing some shrimp etc, when Syracuse caught a women inside his fishing net and still alive, I was not very surprised, but when the women said that she forget her name and identity, it suprised me... I am enjoy thinking that Ondine was really a mermaid,… More
  I enjoy watvhing this movie, Fishing some shrimp etc, when Syracuse caught a women inside his fishing net and still alive, I was not very surprised, but when the women said that she forget her name and identity, it suprised me... I am enjoy thinking that Ondine was really a mermaid, when she singing some shrimp and fish are coming to Syracuse net... (sounds like a fantasy? yes thats what usually makes im happy, in real life how come that be? but this is movies world, let that magical things happen here) Ondine character also reminds me of my friend that very very loves sea and beach, mostly loves water and swimming... But beyond everything, about the true fact of mermaid that becomes human... one word that could make people perspective are different and that word is BELIEVE.

• Nicolas K

  
  Neil Jordan is a master in being able to describe the emotional depth of the human psychic. Ondine however managed to captivate me also for the beautiful cinematography, the mesmerizing score, the surprisingly depth of Colin Farrel's acting and the beautiful interwoven… More
  Neil Jordan is a master in being able to describe the emotional depth of the human psychic. Ondine however managed to captivate me also for the beautiful cinematography, the mesmerizing score, the surprisingly depth of Colin Farrel's acting and the beautiful interwoven fairytale.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings