- MERMAIDS’ LAMENT
- Starring: Dayva Summer Escobar and Justina Mattos
- Directed by: G.B. Hajim
- Rated: Not Rated
- Running time: 1 hr 31 mins
- Tween Sea and Sand Productions
Imagine having the ability to swim and socialize with your friends all day, not a care in the world. If you’re a mermaid, life is pretty good. At least until you get caught in a fishing net. Then life can be pretty brutal.
Beautifully shot, with a script by director Hajim that delves into much more then you might expect, “Mermaid’s Lament” is buoyed by two very different performances, one almost silent and another raging.
Oee – pronounced Oh-Eee – (Escobar) finds herself on a beach, totally alone and scared. She makes her way to the highway, where she is spotted by Dr. Nell Jamison (Mattos), who takes the young woman first to town and, after Oee encounters a few troublemakers, to her home. Dr. Nell is a psychiatrist and Oee is a woman in need of one. Oee has lost her voice and this fact, along with a few things Dr. Nell considers “unusual” form not only a doctor/patient relationship but one that might be considered mother/daughter. Nell truly cares for Oee and her well-being, but she also has some baggage of her own that effects her work and her relationship with Oee.
Both Escobar and Mattos bring true emotion to their performances, a fine achievement when you learn that both actresses are making their feature film debut. The cinematography, by co-DPs Roselia Hernandez and Ronn Murray, is beautiful, particular the underwater shots. The story is also complimented by an original musical score by Jessica Jarvis and Sharneisha Joyner.
On a scale of zero to five, I give “Mermaids’ Lament” three stars.