Studio: Dark Sky Films
Director: Perry Blackshear
Writer: Perry Blackshear
Producer: Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, Perry Blackshear
Stars: Margaret Ying Drake, MacLeod Andrews, Evan Dumouchel
Review Score:
Summary:
While one man searches a lake for the mythical woman who killed his husband, another man falls in love with the same siren.
Review:
“The Siren’s” opening narration explains the legend of ‘The Rusalka.’ According to Al, whose husband was murdered by the mermaid-like being, a rusalka lives life as an ordinary woman until she becomes lovesick and drowns. The transformed siren then resurrects as a living ghost trapped in the lake where she died, forever cursed to kill anyone who comes near her. One way or another, Al determinedly resolves to hunt down this water-dwelling wraith and avenge his fallen beloved.
In a nearby cabin, Tom takes a respite from his Christian ministry duties for a solo getaway on the same lake. Tom’s encounter with the sea-bound siren, named Nina, turns out much differently than Al’s. Tom and Nina feel a strangely magnetic attraction toward one another. So much so that Nina inexplicably finds herself imagining a normal relationship with Tom instead of acting on her compulsion to kill him.
What transpires isn’t a love triangle, but a tug-of-war between two men with very different desires for the same woman. Whose fantasy ends up fulfilled depends on Nina either defying her true nature or fully embracing it. Either way, tragedy has no choice but to hold hands with love.
“The Siren” drew my attention because writer/director Perry Blackshear’s previous film, “They Look Like People” (review here), emerged in 2015 as an astounding example of impassioned indie spirit overcoming a bare bones budget to produce an unexpectedly unnerving psychological thriller. It’s a lean low-fidelity feature whose minimalism becomes more boon than burden as it ingeniously engineers terror almost entirely out of suggested dread. With the same core cast reunited for “The Siren,” I anticipated a follow-up that would complement Blackshear’s debut with equally clever creativity and efficient execution.
To my disappointment, “The Siren” doesn’t hit the same vibrant wavelength of suspense that “They Look Like People” was able to wring from a similarly Spartan setup. “The Siren’s” meandering moments are many and far more mundane. A 20-minute narrative essentially finds itself trapped inside an 80-minute runtime. And that other hour becomes more fatiguing than fascinating since its ordinary staging doesn’t have the allure to create engaging atmosphere.
Probably the most distinctive aspect of the production involves the choice to portray Nina as a regular woman instead of a fantastical sea nymph. Even though Nina lives in a lake, she wears commonplace clothes, tends to her appearance in a mirror, and vaguely comes across as a friendly local who merely happens to swim everywhere she goes. This atypical take on a mythical monster gives the unfolding fable some grounding that keeps the plot relatively realistic. If only the themes were just as accessible for anyone to grab.
I think I’m more tolerant of slow-burn arthouse style than a lot of impatient genre film fans. Yet even I had a tough time keeping my lips from parting in regular yawns throughout “The Siren.” Whether we’re talking about Al stacking chopped wood or yet another sequence of Nina quietly reflecting contemplatively, intrigue and immersion simply don’t develop out of the everyday activities constituting overlong establishing scenes.
With Tom being mute and much of the movie preoccupied with mood, dialogue doesn’t drive drama. Imagery doesn’t either. It’s not that the three actors are incapable of delivering moving performances without using words. The issue is that “The Siren” loses focus on its fiction with lengthy lulls that permit subtext to turn stale as audience attention spans tune out.
If someone insisted on pushing through the movie at 2x speed, I’d be hard pressed to concoct a good reason why that would be wrong. I want to feel the pain of Al’s devastating loss. I want to emotionally attach to Tom’s crisis of religious faith when confronted with intimate romance. I want to sympathize with Nina’s struggle to overcome animal instincts and hold onto humanity. But “The Siren’s” subdued speed, plain palette, and turned-down intensity don’t incentivize investment.
More than anything, I really want to appreciate “The Siren’s” overall effort. Unfortunately, its muted performances and slow-roll story never click enough to be captivating. This is a case of too little remaining too little, in terms of substance and tone. That’s regrettably a hump “The Siren” doesn’t have the muscle to vault over.
Review Score: 40
If you want to see impossible amounts of blood explode crimson colors like the world’s worst version of a gender reveal, well, “Abigail” at least has that.