Mermaid (2007)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

If you love Russian fantasy films or want to be introduced to one, Mermaid is a must-watch. The ending does make perfect sense though will repel those who are not familiar with the Rusalka story, but here does come across as incomplete, if the film was a little longer it could have been more rounded. Aside from that, Mermaid is a wonder. Visually, it is stunning with very skilled and beautifully-lit photography and charming scenery. The music score has a quirkiness and sumptuousness with a distinctive Russian quality to it, characteristically similar to the score of Amelie(in that it's quirky, charming and beautiful to listen to). The dialogue is noble and intelligent, with the comedy genuinely funny without being vulgar or in-your face, romantic parts whimsical and charming and tragic aspects affecting. The story, a very loose adaptation of The Little Mermaid with a touch of Rusalka too, is never dull and has a lot of emotional impact, with colourful fantasy elements and an appealing quirkiness, again Amelie-like. The characters are engaging, with a very relateable protagonist, while the acting is excellent, a big shout-out going to lead actress Mariya Shalaeva, even the word amazing isn't enough describing how good her performance is.Overall, a wondrous film let down only by the incomplete-feeling ending. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Beautiful! I realize not everyone will enjoy this, but if you can look at filmography as an art piece this movie is fantastic! This movie drew me in from the very beginning and I couldn't stop watching it. I hate to admit that I rarely watch a subtitled movie without numerous recommendations, but this one had me hooked. The cinematography was alluring and the plot kept me anticipating-something! It's very lifelike and the meek annoying character grew on me quickly. I started to empathize the exact moment that she mentioned empathy for a pathetic person. The insecurity of Alice and her growth as a character and woman is in sync! I cant wait to watch it with my husband and get his take on it. Watch it!

Or if you could like Rusalka. I must say that this was the first movie for a long time that shocked me . Yes, I was shocked, because I liked Rusalka very much, maybe because she looks a bit like one of my children. I expected a light-footed modern comedy with some Russian strangeness and heart, a better version of the overrated "Amelie", and I was not disappointed. For the first 108 Minutes. Then - obviously announced by movie language - the disaster comes in such a laconic manner, is this typical Russian ? Maybe that's life, but the break-in of the reality into this humorous fairy tale is a serious break of the movie with its own intentions. Rusalka's senseless death (in movie context) is announced by the age counting inserts from the beginning, of course, but the solution is quite an unsatisfying one, because it doesn't fit to the movie and lets me behind with questioning the sense of the story and watching it. But I didn't vote lower than the movie deserves because of the ending I personally hate. I have no problems with bad endings basically, and I can even honor when I am shocked where I didn't want or expect.Rather, the script lacks after about 1 hour or more from speed and originality, so that the movie began to bore me a bit and I asked myself where the story will evolve to keep my interest. I decided that the script writer herself didn't know it, because her inspiration had been worn out in some way. I got the same feeling as reading "Oblomov", where the first 100 pages are simply unbeatable, but the remainder of the book is mediocre.Rusalka did not so bad in telling the old Andersen story in a complete modern and unusual way, taking away this and that and adding instead this and that. But it looses the view for following the potential of its own genius. Thats why it became no masterwork but only a nice and sad story.My conclusion is 9 stars for good ideas, humor, mood, cinematography and the actress, minus 3 for the lack in story advancement. Maybe I am too hard against a very good movie, after all, it felt like a climax lost during a great intercourse.

I didn't really understand the comment before mine, comparing this film to other obscure works of Russian cinema. I saw this film at Sundance, but I'm not an art-film aficionado.I wouldn't say that its "like" Napoleon Dynamite, because that would create the wrong expectation. But in many ways, it reminded me of ND. The quirky teenage girl does things her own way, people don't quite understand her, there's humor but its vague, not slapstick.Russians definitely have a darker perspective on life than Mormons in Idaho. This film has excessive drinking, suicide attempts, sex, and other such items you won't find in Napoleon Dynamite. And if you prefer action films or Adam Sandler humor, its not for you.But its "accessible" to normal people who aren't familiar with comparable Russian cinema, and don't like the typically obscure and self-obsessed Sundance art films.