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Film Search
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The Lure
Thriller
In general, my response to the prospect of a musical/horror/fantasy about generally-topless mermaid sisters would be something along the lines of, “Bring it!” But director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s tale—following the adventures of sirens Golden (Michalina Olszanska) and Silver (Marta Mazurek) as they venture onto land in Poland and join a family musical act—is such a baffling tossed salad of elements that it rarely works as any of them. The script by Robert Bolesto tries to create a unique mythology about the creatures as dangerous, asexual hunters with love as one of their few weaknesses, and Smoczynska’s set pieces aim for a wild sense of what it might be like if Jacques Demy attempted a supernatural thriller. It’s too bad, then, that the narrative doesn’t make any damn sense, nor do the lyrics of the persistent synth-pop tunes do anything to advance the plot or themes in a meaningful way. The relationships between characters are generally incomprehensible, to the point where the one subplot that aims for any emotional connection just gets lost in the choreography and random bursts of gore.
Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska
Cast: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis, Andrzej Konopka, Jakub Gierszal, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Magdalena Cielecka and Katarzyna Herman
Cast: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis, Andrzej Konopka, Jakub Gierszal, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Magdalena Cielecka and Katarzyna Herman
