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Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry, Stephen Rea, Dervla Kirwan ... see more see more... , Tony Curran , Emil Hostina

A man makes a startling discovery that may or may not be magical in this drama from writer and director Neil Jordan. Syracuse (Colin Farrell) is a fisherman who lives in a small town on the Southern c... read more read more...oast of Ireland. Syracuse is an alcoholic, and though he's been sober for two years, most of his neighbors still remember him as a embarrassing drunk, while his ex-wife now lives with another man. Syracuse tries to scratch out a living from the ocean and help support his young daughter, Annie (Alison Barry), who suffers from a serious kidney ailment, but good luck is rarely with him until one day, when he pulls up his nets and finds what appears to be a woman caught in them. To Syracuse's surprise, the woman is alive, and he brings her to shore. The woman is a mysterious and secretive type who doesn't want to tell Syracuse anything about herself or be seen by anyone; Annie proposes that she's a selkie, a mythic creature of the sea that can take human form when it falls in love with the right person. Syracuse almost believes that Annie is right, especially after good luck and good fishing begins coming his way after discovering her, but unfortunately the woman Syracuse has named Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) has certain concerns more pressing than the good fortune of her benefactor. Ondine was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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56% liked it

19,021 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

94 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Neil Jordan

Release Date: June 4, 2010

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DVD Release Date: September 21, 2010

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Stats: 1,001 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,001)

  • deano
    June 13, 2011
    deano
    I respond well to movies with honesty and heart, and Ondine 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 ... read moreyoung 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?"
  • ythelastman89
    May 24, 2011
    ythelastman89
    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; the... read morese 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.
  • jennifxu
    May 1, 2011
    jennifxu
    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.
  • itsjustme2004
    March 17, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    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 ... read moreexcellent 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..
  • jjnxn
    January 18, 2011
    jjnxn
    Dull and so darkly lit that half the film is hard to see.
  • SajinPA
    January 16, 2011
    SajinPA
    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.
  • bbcfloridabound
    January 14, 2011
    bbcfloridabound
    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 ... read moresea, 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
  • blacksheepboy
    January 2, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    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 rom... read moreantic.
  • flickfever
    December 22, 2010
    flickfever
    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.
  • ceWEBrity
    December 12, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    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'... read moret 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.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
June 25, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

Some complexities of story will be lost on audiences not tuned to the regional Irish brogue that is the mother tongue of this little fishing community. But Christopher Doyle's dark lush photography pl... Full Review

Ty Burr
June 24, 2010
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Among the film's pleasures is a disarmingly tender performance from the new, improved Colin Farrell. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
June 18, 2010
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Silkies aren't the only creatures who can inhabit two worlds. As Annie knows, and as Jordan's film makes clear, stories enable us to step outside the quotidian world and dream, if only for an hour or ... Full Review

Bill Stamets
June 18, 2010
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times

Jordan starts to tell an intriguing tale about living with fantasy but falls back on plot turns cued to the flashing lights of cops and paramedics. Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen
June 18, 2010
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

A lyrical, if slight, breeze of an Irish fable.

Colin Covert
June 17, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ondine is so good it hurts. Full Review

J. R. Jones
June 11, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The characters' needs are so simple they're almost mysterious, and the story traces an elusive line between fond fantasy and harsh reality. Full Review

Peter Rainer
June 11, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This movie is a one-of-a-kind experience -- blarney carried to rhapsodic heights. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 10, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

If this movie were a human being, it would be intelligent and sincere but so depressed as to be unable to get out of bed without a forklift. Full Review

Steven Rea
June 10, 2010
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Full of melancholy and blarney... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Priest: Misery is easy. Happiness you have to work at.
    • Syracuse: She sings to the fishes and he catches them.
  • The truth is not what you know. It's what you believe.
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