Sirens Call

In which, in whose reality do we want to be? Are they options and varieties? Sure, you might say, but does that include ... merfolks for you?

The first long movie by Miriam Miri Ian Gossing and Lina Sieckmann explores, in a blend of documentary and (science) fiction, our image of ourselves and others in an intricate web of visual methods.

Some people would call Uma different, as a psychologist seeing herself as mermaid, seeking community and individuality. But aren't we all remote offspring of the oceans? Aren't we all different? (The film of the two Cologne-based artists has been produced in the time in-between the two Trump periods who has been playing the populist cards against any alternative ideas.)

It is no easy movie, it's art and intense. You can spot that Sirens Call was produced and reworked with that intensity and love.

What makes Sirens Call exceptional is it's dedication to showing the world on its subjects own terms, and using a creative array of techniques (not often seen in documentaries) to accomplish this. The film exists primarily on the permeable barrier between fantasy and reality, and in that spaces tells the real stories of a community of modern merfolk. It at times seemingly manages to melt into the mental worlds of these people, and thus into something simultaneously fiction and truth.

It is also simply a very beautiful film. It may sound cliche, but the colors and composition really do make every frame a work of art on its own. Some shots are untraditionally long, but I find that their aesthetic nature makes this pleasant method of immersion.

The film's experimental nature may go unappreciated by some viewers looking for a more traditional documentary experience, however I have hope that those with open minds will find and understand the innovation within it.