The Siren

What a uniquely strange and haunting film this is. Billed as a horror, which it unquestionably is, it is also a truly heart-wrenching tale of longing and impossible love.

Nina, the titular siren (Margaret Ying Drake), mute outsider Tom (Evan Dumouchel) and lonely Al (MacLeod Andrews) are the three main characters, and with them we spend the 80 minutes of this story's running time. Inspired by the legend of The Rusalka, director and co-writer Perry Blackshear has these three guide us through a myriad of emotions - loss, friendship, distrust, suspicion and love. Interesting that Tom is a man of deep faith, and it such a refreshing change that faith isn't used as any kind of catalyst for anything else - it is simply part of his character and it gladdens us that he isn't totally alone, even after all that transpires.

Al is bereft after his husband - seen only briefly in flashback - is taken from him. When Nina appears, things change slowly. In fact, most things happen slowly, which will ensure this film isn't for everyone - but I found myself genuinely moved by it.

Terrific, intense performances all around - Ying Drake especially is creepy, sorrowful, alluring and endearing, sometimes all in one scene - allow 'The Siren' to stay in your mind long after the credits, and the haunting music, have finished rolling. My score is 8 out of 10.

I really liked this movie. It was slower moving but it had to be. It built a relationship between the siren and the man. No other way could it have been done. For those who didn't like it don't appreciate this kind of film. That's ok. You though, have to watch it for yourself.

THE SIREN is a deeply engrossing tale about the tragedy of love, co-dependency and addition. This is the second feature from Director Perry Blackshear who proves here that you can make a stunning film with a solid story, fantastic cast and a limited budget.

Inspired by the legend of The Rusalka, Blackshear has crafted a microscale creature feature taking time and effort to create something very special. Romantic and whimsical, Blackshear harnesses his unique aestetic to wrap his audience in a tragic love story that, at times, taps into its horror elements and executes them very effectively.

The cast are fantastic. As the "titular monster" Margaret Ying Drake is superb. Her performance as Nina is equal bits charming, dark and strangely sweet. Starring opposite her is Evan Doumouchel as Tom who appears as the catalyst for change. Handling his role with the right amount of charm and faith, Doumouchel not only stands his own but his presence is very much welcomed. Together, there is no denying the chemistry between the leads as this shines brightly like a lamp across a dimly lit lake. It's really beautiful to watch.

Rounding up the cast is MacLeod Andrews who plays Al, a man who is searching for his husband's killer. In the film, his character quickly forms a friendship with Tom but it's not long before he soon starts to suspect Nina is responsible for his husbands death. In the role Andrews nails each emotional beat of his character with precision.

Although this film is clearly not for everyone, I was blown away with what the team have brought to the table. As a film, it made me smile, it broke my heart... It was an emotional rollercoaster and it has me excited for what Blackshear comes up with next!

If you're not into subtle slow burn movies, and you consider Marvel movies to be masterpieces this may not be for you.

It's slow, methodic, tortured and utterly heartbreaking... but a wonderful movie.

to the reviewer that felt the need to write a thesis on Siren and Mermaid lore, review the movie, we don't need a history lesson on mythology, geez.

I am not sure if the point of this movie was to be "artsy " but because of the poor editing it is really hard to track. It could have been a great story but I honestly couldn't tell what was supposed to be happening when and with whom. Time spliced editing is very tricky and if you don't do it right it can ruin your story.