The Lure

A musical and a horror film, with aspects of glamour too, The Lure is a very original film that fits into a mixture of genres, as the spectator has to switch between the immersion required by horror films and the non-immersive attitude of musicals. The two mermaid characters are created with a typical combination of the innocence and violence of non-human figures. But the rest of the film, from the locations to the evolution of the story, is all but typical. The excellent soundtrack, the very good music, the acrobatic camera: all stress the strangeness of the world of the two mermaids, and we seem to enter their unique sensibility. Even if the two mermaid characters remain a bit static, like in a fairy tale, the very good acting of Michalina Olszańska and Marta Mazurek gives them flesh and blood. Especially for Michalina Olszańska, this is the second impressive performance we have seen, after the recent Moi, Olga Hepnarová (see our article). Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s film received the Special Mention at the 2016 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, and that is the perfect award for The Lure: a movie thought of as a trip, with tenderness, violence, lightness, and a delightful absurdity. A film in which the costume design, a small secondary scene, or the general atmosphere can all leave a strong impression on our memory.