by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian — April 2011

Ondine

In a post-Shrek world, the reinvention of a fairy tale is no longer considered cutting-edge. However, Neil Jordon’s Ondine manages to reinvent the reinvention. The writer and director, known for films such as The Crying Game and The Brave One, chose to scale back the enchantment and create a gray area in this fantasy film. The story of Ondine came from an image Jordon had of “a fisherman who finds a body in his nets that seems to be dead but turns out to be alive,” which suggests “both a fairy tale and an awful, harsh reality.” The result is a story that is pure magical realism. It bends reality just enough to make the audience wonder: Is this all a coincidence, or is it a world where mythological creatures exist?

Ondine stars Colin Farrell (In Bruges, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) as Syracuse, an Irish fisherman who catches a woman in his nets while trawling for fish. The mysterious girl (Alicja Bachleda), who calls herself Ondine, sings in a language he has never heard before, and when she does, his pots and nets fill with fish. Syracuse’s daughter Annie (Alison Barry) becomes certain that Ondine is a selkie, a shape-shifting water nymph that takes the form of a human on land and a seal in the sea.

Ondine was filmed entirely in Castletownbere, Ireland. The setting, with its gray skies and tumultuous seas, adds an element of magic and drama. It’s an appropriate place for impossible events to happen, and Syracuse is a man in need of a miracle. The focus of this film is on the relationships — both chosen and familial — that are impacted by the unexpected. Decoding what is real and what’s imaginary doesn’t seem to matter much by the time Ondine reaches its conclusion.

Ondine, available on DVD, is 111 minutes and rated PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and brief strong language.

Howl

Much like the poem it was named for, Howl is striking in its ability to surprise and engage audiences. Four narratives — scenes of the poet Allen Ginsberg (played by Bay Area native James Franco) writing and performing his infamous work, the subsequent obscenity trial that sought to ban its publication by City Lights, an animated sequence illustrating the text, and scenes of an older Ginsberg reflecting back on his experience — are woven together in the film. The movie has a surreal and dreamlike quality, where black and white footage flows into animation which becomes a courtroom drama. The animation, based on Eric Drooker’s illustrations for Ginsberg’s Illuminated Poems, intensifies the stream-of-consciousness tone.

All of the dialogue was lifted from court transcripts, interviews with Ginsberg, or the poem itself. The script wasn’t exactly written, it was pieced together from transcripts and recordings. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman make this clear with a preface letting viewers know the dialogue in Howl was mined — stating that this film is both similar to and different from a documentary. Although these events really happened and the words were actually spoken, one wonders more about the content that was left out. What interviews and courtroom antics were deemed irrelevant?

Howl is an examination of 1950s America from an outsider’s perspective. Ginsberg was a gay man in an era that considered his sexuality a mental illness. He wrote a poem that expressed his truth and it was labeled obscene. This is a film that asks some difficult questions. What defines literature? Do Americans need to be protected from art? These are issues that scholars and legislators have spent countless hours debating. Howl is a powerful argument in favor of letting the public decide for themselves.

Howl, available on DVD, is 84 minutes and rated R for strong sexual content including language and images, and for some drug material.