The Mermaid
The product of a chance encounter between a lusty, busty woman (Maria Sakova) and a drunken sailor, narrator Alisa is a Black Sea-residing loner. At age five (played by Anastasiya Dontsova), she takes a vow of silence to protest her mom’s refusal to enroll her in ballet class. As Alisa grows, so does the nature of her rebellion. (…)
Pic, co-scripted by Natalia Nazarova, reveals traces of Melikyan’s background in commercials, but its emotional richness transcends mere visual slickness. Like ”Amelie”, pic takes full advantage of convincing digital effects to underline its fantasy elements, and Oleg Kirichenko’s superb lensing further enhances the bravura visuals.
Igor Vdovin’s catchy, cheerful score faultlessly changes register when the narrative requires dramatic tension. Other credits are top-notch, and the obviously big budget is all up on the screen.
– RUSSELL EDWARDS, VARIETYDuration: 115 min
Dialogue: Russian
Subtitles: English
