Unless you are a hard-core Colin Farrell fan, you may have never heard of the film “Ondine”. While an admirer of his work (let’s face it, he’s easy on the eyes), I have to admit this title was a surprise to me when I stumbled upon a copy for sale in a little video rental place a couple of blocks from my office.
“Ondine” is the story of a fisherman named Syracuse, who lives in a small Irish village. His simple life suddenly becomes complicated when he catches a half-drowned woman in his nets. She’s frightened and seems (for lack of a better term) like a fish out of water. So he agrees to let her stay in his mother’s old cottage and to tell no one.
His nets suddenly fill with very little effort and it seems fortune is finally on his side. His daughter is convinced that this beautiful stranger is a Selkie. One of the seal-people emerging from the mists to bless their family and prove to everyone that they are not simply a myth, that wishes can come true, and that anything is possible if you believe.
But this isn’t a simple Faerie Tale. Ondine has secrets of her own. After falling in love with Syracuse and starting a new life, her past comes back to haunt her and threatens everything she now holds dear.
Much like the little girl in the film, I desperately wanted to believe. The story took me on a journey I thought I was prepared for, but soon realized that it would not be anything like I expected. I felt more than a bit betrayed, but then realized that for the first time in a long, long while I had no idea what was coming. Not unlike Syracuse, who followed his heart only to realize it may end up broken and scattered like the sea glass that washes ashore after a storm.
It left both Syracuse and I asking ourselves the same question. “Are you willing to see it through, no matter what?”