If you thought Disney's "The Little Mermaid" was the definitive telling of Hans Christian Andersen, then you might wanna sit down and brush up on your CPR. "The Lure" (original title: "Córki dancingu" or "Daughters of Dance Clubs") is a wild interpretation of the classic fable which can only be described as a dark comedy horror romcom musical fantasy crime drama art flick.
Fabulously set in the 1980s, with excellent music that echoes this era, we get an unforgettable story of 2 mermaid sisters who slither out of the Wisla River to have a little fun and eat some humans before continuing to America. Yes, the story draws from the original Greek myths of mermaids being monsters of the deep who use their sexuality and hypnotizing voices to lure sailors to their horrible deaths. But it also focuses on the Andersenian theme of love, betrayal and transformation. It's the transformation part that becomes fascinating, powerful and ultimately profound as we realize that the mermaid metaphor applies not only to the hazards of love, but very pointedly it's a metaphor for a young girl's transformation into womanhood. This occurs in physical, emotional and social illustrations that are so perfectly done that, even if you're a male like me, you suddenly feel the growing pains of womanhood on a visceral level. The embarrassment, the objectification, and ultimately either the power or the defeat that comes with sexual maturity.
Even if you don't immediately key in on that central theme, there are some great dance numbers and some bloody carnage scenes to keep you interested.
This is a musical. Supposedly it's Poland's first musical, and that meant it had no template to follow. I have to say, I hope all musicals are like this from now on. There's a wonderful lack of cinematic self-awareness here. By that I mean the film doesn't pigeonhole itself into a particular type of storytelling, but instead it hops boldly and outrageously between fantasy, realism, humor and drama. For example, one scene may be realistic and gritty like a thriller but then abruptly we jump to a grand, colorful MGM-type musical production with hundreds of singing & dancing extras. Then we're back to a more intimate style of storytelling with tremendous sentimentality and heart. It should be noted that this is the debut feature film of director Agnieszka Smoczynska, and already she shows an absolute mastery of cinema.
The acting is fantastic with the 2 sisters of course stealing the show. One sister "Silver" (Marta Mazurek) is the innocent romantic who chooses to pursue love while the darker sister is "Golden" (Michalina Olszanska) who is... quite literally... a maneater. Both play their extreme differences perfectly while keeping a tight sibling connection which makes us realize that they are basically the same. Loved the way they communicate in a secret musical dolphin language with each other, and conversely when they argue they are shown as wild animals communicating in growls and bared fangs.
"The Lure" is an excellent film that can be enjoyed on so many levels. Like I said: dark comedy, horror, romcom, musical, fantasy, crime drama, art flick. Pick one and run with it. Er... swim with it.
Fabulously set in the 1980s, with excellent music that echoes this era, we get an unforgettable story of 2 mermaid sisters who slither out of the Wisla River to have a little fun and eat some humans before continuing to America. Yes, the story draws from the original Greek myths of mermaids being monsters of the deep who use their sexuality and hypnotizing voices to lure sailors to their horrible deaths. But it also focuses on the Andersenian theme of love, betrayal and transformation. It's the transformation part that becomes fascinating, powerful and ultimately profound as we realize that the mermaid metaphor applies not only to the hazards of love, but very pointedly it's a metaphor for a young girl's transformation into womanhood. This occurs in physical, emotional and social illustrations that are so perfectly done that, even if you're a male like me, you suddenly feel the growing pains of womanhood on a visceral level. The embarrassment, the objectification, and ultimately either the power or the defeat that comes with sexual maturity.
Even if you don't immediately key in on that central theme, there are some great dance numbers and some bloody carnage scenes to keep you interested.
This is a musical. Supposedly it's Poland's first musical, and that meant it had no template to follow. I have to say, I hope all musicals are like this from now on. There's a wonderful lack of cinematic self-awareness here. By that I mean the film doesn't pigeonhole itself into a particular type of storytelling, but instead it hops boldly and outrageously between fantasy, realism, humor and drama. For example, one scene may be realistic and gritty like a thriller but then abruptly we jump to a grand, colorful MGM-type musical production with hundreds of singing & dancing extras. Then we're back to a more intimate style of storytelling with tremendous sentimentality and heart. It should be noted that this is the debut feature film of director Agnieszka Smoczynska, and already she shows an absolute mastery of cinema.
The acting is fantastic with the 2 sisters of course stealing the show. One sister "Silver" (Marta Mazurek) is the innocent romantic who chooses to pursue love while the darker sister is "Golden" (Michalina Olszanska) who is... quite literally... a maneater. Both play their extreme differences perfectly while keeping a tight sibling connection which makes us realize that they are basically the same. Loved the way they communicate in a secret musical dolphin language with each other, and conversely when they argue they are shown as wild animals communicating in growls and bared fangs.
"The Lure" is an excellent film that can be enjoyed on so many levels. Like I said: dark comedy, horror, romcom, musical, fantasy, crime drama, art flick. Pick one and run with it. Er... swim with it.