Ondine (2009)

The story of an Irish fisherman who discovers a woman in his fishing net who he believes to be a Selke (a water nymph).

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writer:

Neil Jordan

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Dervla Kirwan

6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Farrell	...	Syracuse
Alicja Bachleda	...	Ondine
Dervla Kirwan	...	Maura
Alison Barry	...	Annie
Marion O'Dwyer	...	Nurse - Dialysis
Tony Curran	...	Alex
Mary O'Shea	...	Fish Co Op Worker
Gemma Reeves	...	Draper's Shop Tracy
Stephen Rea	...	Priest
Norma Sheahan	...	Librarian
Emil Hostina	...	Vladic
Conor Power	...	Eion
Olwyn Hanley	...	Katie
Brendan McCormack	...	Fishery Board George
Mark Doherty	...	Fishery Board Man II

Storyline

On the coast of Cork, Syracuse is a fisherman, on the wagon, living alone. His precocious daughter, Annie, about 10, has failing kidneys. One day, a nearly-drowned young woman comes up in his net; she speaks oddly, calls herself Ondine, and wants no one to see her. He puts her up in an isolated cottage that was his mother's. Annie discovers Ondine's presence and believes she's a selkie, a mythical seal turned human while on land. If this is a fairy tale, is there a happily ever after, or do the realities of alcohol, illness, and worse intrude, including Syracuse's inveterate bad luck? As his priest tell him, misery's easy, it's happiness you have to work at. Any hope of that?

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Plot Keywords:

fisherman | fishing net | alcohol | selkie | wedding dress | 

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Taglines:

The truth is not what you know. It's what you believe.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Ireland USA

Language:

English Romanian French

Release Date:

5 March 2010 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Amor sin límites

Filming Locations:

Bere Island, Beara, County Cork, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,497 (USA) (4 June 2010)

Gross:

$548,934 (USA) (24 September 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wayfare Entertainment, Irish Film Board, Octagon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song played with the closing credits is Lisa Hannigan's "Braille". For some time the song was available for subscribers of Hannigans newsletter. An official release did not follow.

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Goofs

When Ondine comes up out of the water, she is soaking wet as she walks past Annie talking to her. Then suddenly, her clothing is barely damp as she continues up the stairs into the house.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Syracuse: [into radio] Anybody out there? I need a little help.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.63 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Braille"
Written and performed by Lisa Hannigan
Courtesy of ATO Records

User Reviews

A Romantic Fairy Tale

Ondine is a movie that can truly be regarded as a modern day fairy tale. The story has been depicted so amazingly that it mesmerizes the audience and blesses them with a profound sense of compelling magic and fantasy. I am glad that after a long period of time I've watched a fabulous romantic movie, in the true sense of word. Romanticism is something that makes us escape our known world of mundane reality and takes us into a world of perpetual love, warm passion and incredible dreams. The story of Ondine has all the elements of a charming fairy tale and the ingeniousness with which it has been depicted makes it quite believable in the context of our known reality. It has all the elements of a fairy tale and yet it's an outstanding tale of the real world. The Selki myth, the struggling fisherman and her sick daughter, Ondine as the luck mascot, the monster who emerges to take Ondine away and the enthralling aura of mystery that shrouds the facts for long, make it a movie that's characterized by enchanting surprises, suspense, mystery, emotion and fantasy. What more can we expect from a fairy tale. The Selki mythology has been illustrated so wonderfully in the film that it endowed the plot with a compelling romanticism. It's a sensitive story of salvation, love and magic that we often dream of but seldom find in our concrete real world of facts. I particularly liked the ending of the film. Like a wonderful fairy tale it has a "they happily lived ever after" type of ending. After all the tensions, all problems are resolved at the end. I think such endings make us optimistic about life and give us the courage to dream over again. It's a very poignant and sensitive movie; a fascinating love story.