Polish mermaid movie making waves at Sundance

The film, which tells the unlikely story of two mermaid sisters who find work performing at a nightclub, is competing against 11 movies at the US festival.

“Agnieszka Smoczynska’s fearless debut feature is the sort of exotic siren call that festival and art house audiences are most likely to heed,” enthused the Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, Cinevue argued that “violent, sexy fairytale 'The Lure' is more than the sum of its parts; a luscious, strangely enchanting watch and terrific fun for those who'll launch themselves into it.”

In another review, online source Consequence of Sound reflected that the director “somehow manages to seamlessly assemble a film equal parts hilarious, affecting, and grisly while trading and warping aesthetics and tones by the scene.”

UK paper The Guardian concluded that Smoczyńska's movie “could possibly be the strangest film in this year’s world cinema competition.”

However, the paper noted that the film has “an abstract, dream-like edge, which makes it interesting and surprising but very hard to follow.”

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival wraps up on 31 January. (nh/pk)