Ondine | Rotten Tomatoes

Ondine

PG-13

Released Jun 4, 2010

1h 50m

Drama

Fantasy

List

70%

Tomatometer

104 Reviews

60%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

Fisherman Syracuse (Colin Farrell), a recovering alcoholic, lives with his daughter, Annie (Alison Barry), in a small village on the Irish coast. One afternoon, a mystifying and beautiful girl, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda), gets caught in his nets as he wades along the water. Aboard the boat, Ondine brings Syracuse great luck, seemingly drawing the fish towards his nets. However, the fisherman starts to fear that Ondine may not be meant for this life.

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Critics Consensus

Flawed but charming, Ondine reaffirms writer-director Neil Jordan's gift for myth, magic, and wonder.

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Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses))

An intriguing mix of working-class grit and childlike fantasy that never fully comes together.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 8, 2021

Full Review

Andrew Chan

Film Comment Magazine

Things start to go awry when we realize that the film's emotional sensitivity doesn't go much deeper than its moody surfaces.

Nov 13, 2013

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Understated in its subversion of, and then canny adherence to, its chosen folklore

Rated: B+

Nov 21, 2010

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The unique combination of hopeful fantasy and gritty, overcast realism marry in a heartwarming drama, not for children, but rather for the child in every adult.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 18, 2023

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A lyrical modern fairytale. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 11, 2022

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Director Jordan and Farrell, Rea, Barry and Bachleda keep it charming and interesting, even if its grand mystery is one we can write-off as "all wet."

Rated: 2.5/4

May 2, 2021

Full Review

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K B

Loved this film. Something magical about it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

Joe H

Magical for most of the movie. Hard spots towards the end but very well done. Enjoyable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/21/23

Full Review

Jelisije J

An enjoyable simple light hearted film about love and destiny.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Kevin L

Wonderful. This was a nice breath of different air, fresh with some North Atlantic sea spray and some Irish bay mythmaking. Nicely done by Neil Jordan, a director I find gets some unfair criticism and is often misunderstood, or more correctly 'mis-critiqued' by critics who should know better. The cast is pretty impressive top to bottom, be it the smaller roles played by the fine actor Stephen Rea, Dervlin Kirwan, and Tony Curran (a bloody good punter type), or the leads Farrell and the gorgeous Alicja Bachleda. And of course, Alison Barry is terrific as the precocious daughter whose ailment is more than made up for by her spirit and sense of wonderment. This is also a beautiful film for the eyes to take in. Besides the glorious sights of the Irish seaside, the lighthouse, and the land, there's just the lovely colors that are brought out by the film Jordan chose for the movie. Ondine's outfits, flowers, the snookers balls are all so vibrant. I liked the Selkie aspect of the film. I'd first come across the myth when watching the great John Sayles' terrific film 'The Secret of Roan Inish'. I got the sense this wasn't going to actually be such a film, though the burying of the supposed seal coat had me wondering. Of course, there had to be the eventual scuzzbag guy show up who wanted Ondine (or something she knew). That lead to the weakest aspect of the movie for me. That last reveal was a bit slipshod, but I'm fine with the occasional quick dismissal of the baddie and a resolution like this. Hell, it's all a bit o' fairy tale, innit? 3.2 stars (the extra .2 is for a bit of Ursula Andress 'Dr. No' out of the sea, only in a dress)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/19/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting story blending fantasy and reality. Great acting especially the little girl. Worth a look.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought it was a lovely romantic movie. I know some people think the ending ruined it, but I was relieved because I was fearing a tragic "fairy tale" ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Neil Jordan

Director

Colin Farrell

Syracuse

Alicja Bachleda

Ondine

Alison Barry

Annie

Tony Curran

Alex

Emil Hostina

Vladic

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Synopsis

Fisherman Syracuse (Colin Farrell), a recovering alcoholic, lives with his daughter, Annie (Alison Barry), in a small village on the Irish coast. One afternoon, a mystifying and beautiful girl, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda), gets caught in his nets as he wades along the water. Aboard the boat, Ondine brings Syracuse great luck, seemingly drawing the fish towards his nets. However, the fisherman starts to fear that Ondine may not be meant for this life.

Director: Neil Jordan
Producer: Ned Dowd, Michael Maher, Peter Rawlinson
Screenwriter: Neil Jordan
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Wayfare Entertainment, Little Wave Productions, Octagon Films, Sound & Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Sensuality|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 4, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $548.9K
Runtime: 1h 50m

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