I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)

Director:

Patricia Rozema

Writer:

Patricia Rozema (writer)

Release Date:

March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Scatterbrained Polly gets a job as a secretary in Gabrielle's art gallery. Gabrielle has a romantic relationship with the painter Mary...

Plot Keywords:

Art Gallery | Painting | Lesbian | Toronto | Independent Film

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Sheila McCarthy	...	Polly Vandersma
Paule Baillargeon	...	Gabrielle St. Peres
Ann-Marie MacDonald	...	Mary Joseph
Richard Monette	...	Clive
John Evans	...	Warren
Brenda Kamino	...	Waitress

Also Known As:

Le chant des sirènes (Canada: French title) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief strong language.

Runtime:

UK:81 min | USA:81 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:M | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canada Council, The

Trivia:

The title is a reference to a line in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" that reads: "I have heard the mermaids singing each to each / I do not think that they will sing to me."

Quotes:

Polly Vandersma: Isn't life the strangest thing you've ever seen?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

OPEN WINDOW

Well, i've seen movies that made less sense and more of a point

It just didn't move me. This movie clearly has a cult following. I rented it in the DVD re-release format. The acting was forced. The blocking resembled a bad high-school play. And I just wasn't moved by it. I would like to meet the people who remember this movie so fondly when it was first released in 1987 to learn more about why they liked it.