Ondine

"The truth is not what you know. It's what you believe."

2010 1h 51m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

70%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 371🍅70%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 23,482

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On the coast of Cork, Syracuse is a divorced fisherman who has stopped drinking. His precocious daughter Annie has failing kidneys. One day, he finds a nearly-drowned young woman in his net; she calls herself Ondine and wants no one to see her. He puts her up in an isolated cottage that was his mother's. Annie discovers Ondine's presence and believes she is a selkie, a seal that turns human while on land. Syracuse is afraid to hope again.

“The truth is not what you know. It's what you believe.”

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Where to watch · US

Magnolia Selects Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Colin Farrell
Syracuse
Alicja Bachleda-Curuś
Ondine
Dervla Kirwan
Maura
Alison Barry
Annie
Marion O'Dwyer
Nurse - Dialysis
Tony Curran
Alex
Mary O'Shea
Fish Co Op Worker
Gemma Reeves
Draper's Shop Tracy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Neil Jordan
Writers: Neil Jordan
Languages: Romanian, English
Countries: Ireland, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Romanian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Neil Jordan, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kjartan Sveinsson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tony Lawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda-Curuś and Dervla Kirwan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Neil Jordan directs. Christopher Doyle behind the camera. Kjartan Sveinsson scores. Tony Lawson cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Ireland, United States of America. Dialogue in Romanian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Romanian, English.
4International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United States of America.
5Directed by Neil Jordan, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Kjartan Sveinsson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tony Lawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda-Curuś and Dervla Kirwan carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The truth is not what you know. It's what you believe.".
10IMDB entry: tt1235796 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
Original score: Kjartan Sveinsson
Editing: Tony Lawson
Production design: Anna Rackard
Costume design: Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh
Makeup / hair: Morna Ferguson
Stunt coordinator: Mark Mottram
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $1,790,061
Return: 15% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Ondine (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 70% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 65/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 23,482 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

6 wins & 6 nominations total

Also by

Neil Jordan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-08-20
★ 7/10
Arty Indie about a fisherman who finds a mysterious woman off the coast of Ireland A fisherman from the Cork area of southern Ireland (Colin Farrell) finds an enigmatic female in the water (Alicja Bachleda) whom his handicapped daughter (Alison Barry) believes is a selkie, a being capable of changing from seal to human form by shedding its skin. What is the truth? Dervla Kirwan plays the ex-wife, Tony Curran the “stepdad” and Stephen Rea the guiding priest. Written & directed by Neil Jordan, “Ondine” (2009) is a lyrical coastal drama/mystery reminiscent of “The Seventh Stream” (2001) and “The Secret of Roan Inish” (1994). It mixes the haunting seaside fisherman element of “Orca” (1977) with the coastal mysteriousness of “Half Light” (2006), the romance of “Message in a Bottle” (1999) and the melancholic folk of “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” (1971). The filmmaking is artsy with seeming ambiguities, sometimes annoyingly so (depending on your taste), while exploring the concept of wish fulfillment in the face of grim realities. Bachleda’s beauty is tastefully displayed. The characters speak in Irish/Scottish brogue and the dialogue is often realistically mumbled, making it difficult to understand for outsiders. Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles on the disc; so if you watch it via streaming I advise using subtitles. The folk-oriented soundtrack sometimes throws in a welcome oddity like “Bathe in Blood” by Evile and "Then Comes Dudley" by The Jesus Lizard. The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes and was shot at Beara, County Cork, Ireland. GRADE: B

Production companies

Who made it

ST
Start Motion Pictures
WA
Wayfare Entertainment
US
OC
Octagon Films
IE
LI
Little Wave Productions
US
RTÉ
IE
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland
IE

Key crew

Executive ProducerNed Dowd
Line ProducerKaren Richards
EditorTony Lawson
ProducerNeil Jordan
Executive ProducerMichael Maher
CastingNuala Moiselle
ProducerBen Browning
Executive ProducerPeter Rawlinson
Production DesignAnna Rackard
CastingSusie Figgis
CastingFrank Moiselle
First Assistant DirectorJamie Christopher
ProducerJames Flynn
Executive ProducerMorgan O'Sullivan
Second Assistant DirectorMichael Stevenson
Standby Art DirectorBen Collins
Art DirectionMartin Goulding
Art DirectionMark Lowry
Set DecorationJudy Farr
Costume DesignEimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh
Makeup ArtistMorna Ferguson
HairstylistOrla Carrol
Foley ArtistCaoimhe Doyle
SoundSteve Fanagan

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

alcohol
mermaid
wedding dress
fishing net
selkie

Release history · US

When it landed

Theatrical (limited)2010-06-04PG-13

Also known as

International titles

Amor sin límitesAR
OndynaPL
オンディーヌうみべのこいびとJP
オンディーヌ海辺の恋人JP
オンディーヌ海辺の恋人：2009JP
Ondine Das Maedchen aus dem MeerDE
УндинаRU

6.3