I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing

One of many things that annoys me in movies is when there’s weird, awkward, “quirky” character clearly written by pretty normal people who are just guessing at what an actual weird person is like. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is not that. Its lead character is a strange and quirky woman in a way that rings true. Basically, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is a movie about an outsider written by someone who genuinely knows what that’s like. The writer of this movie almost definitely got bullied in high school for being weird and the movie is better because of that.

I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is about the odd and scatterbrained Polly. Polly gets a temporary job at an art gallery. She loves her job primarily because of her boss, Gabrielle. Polly’s interest in Gabrielle is somewhat ambiguous in terms of actual romantic interest but she does call it love and certainly acts like a person with a crush. Gabrielle herself is a lesbian and has a partner named Mary. But Gabrielle keeps her queerness under wraps as to not make waves in her artistic social circle. In an attempt to do something nice for Gabrielle, Polly displays some of Gabrielle’s paintings in their gallery. Lo and behold, the paintings get a lot of attention and Gabrielle gets increasingly arrogant about being the next big artist.

In terms of queerness, the movie is somewhat ambiguous. Polly claims that she loves Gabrielle, but also that she doesn’t want to kiss her or anything like that. That’s not particularly queer. But Polly does act like a woman with a crush. She’s also depicted as not even understanding the concept of heterosexuality. In one scene, she fantasizes about talking to Gabrielle about how gender shouldn’t matter when choosing someone to love. To me, Polly’s interest in Gabrielle reads as her first homosexual crush which she’s not sure how to comprehend. Because of compulsory heterosexuality, Polly never considered women an option. Then she meets Gabrielle and things change. I certainly remember being younger and thinking my interest in women was just platonic admiration only to later realize it was pretty gay. I think that’s where Polly’s at too. Her realization just happened a little later in life.

Polly is such a great main character. As I mentioned, she’s quirky in a way that doesn’t ring hollow. She’s a fully realized character with consistency to her weirdness. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing found a great balance of making her character both funny and touching. I really care about Polly and want her to succeed. It was a really enjoyable experience to spend 80 minutes seeing the world through her eyes.

What I really adore about this movie is that there’s a theme of the simple necessity for basic kindness. Polly, in her simple way is so kind and so sweet and the movie champions her for that. When Gabrielle gets too big-headed and increasingly rude about her new fame, she’s brought back down to earth and at the end, seems happier for it. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing has such a great message about how being kind to other people is the best and most simple way to make yourself happy as well as others.

I really enjoyed this movie. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is a quick sit with likeable characters. I love its messages about kindness and also the subjectivity of art and critique. While its queerness is sometimes up for debate, this is a movie made by people who were outsiders, features a character who’s strange herself and would appeal to an audience who thinks of themselves as outsiders. That sounds pretty queer to me.

Overall rating: 7.8/10

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