It’s All About Getting Some Tail

“When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,

Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak

Of one that loved not wisely, but too well.”

Once upon a time, there were two carnivorous mermaid sisters… Really, do I need to say anything more? No, I didn’t think so. But, for the sake of keeping this from being a one line blog entry, I’ll go on.

Oh, and the movie is also a musical. Did I mention that?

I have to admit I’ve been looking forward to seeing Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska‘s The Lure (Córki dancingu) ever since I first saw the trailer last year.

If nothing else, Smoczyńska and her actresses (Marta Mazurek as Silver and Michalina Olszańska as Golden) deserve points for their boldness. The girls spend much of the film in the nude – though thanks to their otherworldly nature, they have no female genitalia, at least when they are in human form. There is also an emotional investment that both the director and everyone involved with the movie invest it with that surpasses the mere physical.

Even beyond that, though, there is the completely surreal setting of the film. Of course, once you introduce a world filled with mermaids and more otherworldly denizens, you enter into a contract with the viewer that nothing is off the table, and Smoczyńska fulfills every expectation.

There are many ways to look at The Lure. It can be seen as a coming of age story. It can be viewed as a metaphor for the trials of immigrants and the struggle of assimilation. It can even be read as a commentary on objectification.

I’m not going to go into much of the plot because to do so would be to give away too many of the surprises awaiting the adventurous audience who are willing to take on this film. Suffice to say that this take on the Hans Christian Anderson tale of The Little Mermaid does not spare any punches in its take on the intersection of the real world with that of fantasy. There is happiness, heartbreak, sexuality, violence, and blood. A lot of blood. And other body parts as well.

This is definitely no Disney take on the fable.

In the end, I cannot recommend The Lure enough, though my recommendation does come with a warning. This is not a subtle film, nor is it going to be for everybody. Know before going in that you are going to be challenged in many ways. But if you’re up for it and willing to meet Smoczyńska on her own terms, your adventurousness will be amply rewarded.

Here’s the film’s NSFW trailer: