In this bold, genre-defying horror-musical mashup – the playful and confident debut of Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska – a pair of carnivorous mermaid sisters are drawn ashore in an alternate ’80s Poland to explore the wonders and temptations of life on land. Their tantalizing siren songs and otherworldly aura make them overnight sensations as nightclub singers in the half-glam, half-decrepit fantasy world of Smoczynska’s imagining.
“THE LURE is a genre hybrid: a love story, a musical, and a fantasy-horror reverie—in other words, an adult fairy tale,” said Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska. “I was inspired by the kitschy world of big dance-hall parties from the Communist era, which came to a close when I was twelve years old. The lost souls, the warm vodka, and the glamour amid poverty fueled my imagination and stirred my memories of the two restaurants my mother ran during this not-so-belle epoque.”
In a visceral twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s original Little Mermaid tale, one sister falls for a human, and as the bonds of sisterhood are tested, the lines between love and survival get blurred. A savage coming-of-age fairytale with a catchy new-wave soundtrack, lavishly grimy sets, and outrageous musical numbers, THE LURE explores its themes of sexuality, exploitation, and the compromises of adulthood with energy and originality.
“THE LURE is also a coming-of-age story about discovering your sexuality and femininity, and how these two things can sometimes be used for problematic purposes,” added Smoczynska. “The mermaids are not an end in themselves but a reflection of the eventual, painful discovery that adulthood is not all it seems. As far as previous depictions of mermaids in popular culture, I was inspired much more by Homer and Hans Christian Andersen than by Walt Disney: my mermaids do not wear seashell bras but rather chew on human hearts.”
The 2015 film has been released on various home video formats by Janus Films
The horror-musical mashup features original songs written by Barbara and Zuzanna Wro?ska (of the Polish Indie Band Ballady i Romanse). Lakeshore Records will release a digital soundtrack to THE LURE on August 18th.
Watch the film’s trailer from youtube below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJB5hctnxQQ
