It would be startling to mistake Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska's debut feature film for a one-to-one live-action version of Disney's "The Little Mermaid." Although the daring filmmaker uses myth from the same source material, her film takes on gritty subjects such as sex trafficking, Communist theatrics and vampirism, all set to an '80s disco beat. Not to mention the phallic symbolism of the girls' turgid tales.
Not for the squeamish, the film offers great rewards for those willing to take it on. It's innovative and adds a fresh point of view to the ongoing conversation about transformation and myth happening in the vibrant indie horror genre, which has revitalized movie-going in this century.