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I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

Play trailer 2:14 Poster for I've Heard the Mermaids Singing R Released Mar 1, 1987 1h 21m Comedy Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A charming and whimsical story about a daydreamer with artistic aspirations, Patricia Rozema's fanciful character study follows an amateur photographer Polly (Sheila McCarthy) as she lands a temp job at a Toronto art gallery run by elegant and sophisticated Gabrielle (Paule Baillargeon), who is also a painter. Polly is impressed with Gabrielle's paintings, but as Polly gets to know Gabrielle's lover, Mary (Ann-Marie MacDonald), and becomes entangled in their lives, she realizes that Gabrielle isn't exactly who she appears to be. The absent-minded temp with spiky orange hair and the polished curator with a gift for gab are like night and day, yet a strong connection builds between these two women through their shared love of art, and their genuine curiosity and need for love.

Critics Reviews

View All (16) Critics Reviews
Richard Brody The New Yorker The unruly spirit of artistic creation gets a bittersweet comedic workout in “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing"... Aug 1, 2022 Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times Swift, witty and intimate, it is an amazingly confident first feature that reveals with exquisite humor and compassion the pitfalls in a relationship between two radically different women. Mar 16, 2022 Full Review Bob Thomas Associated Press [Rozema's] vivid and surprising imagination, coupled with a startlingly original performance by Sheila McCarthy, help make the film a rare and unexpected delight. Jul 25, 2019 Full Review Bernard Welt Washington Blade A small-is-beautiful triumph of craft, charm, and substance over the usual Hollywood glitz. May 24, 2022 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension Rozema and McCarthy tenderly but incisively capture the feeling of being a shy person whose inner life is more rewarding and engaging than their outer one. Mar 24, 2022 Full Review Susan Jhirad Sojourner Is testimony to what women filmmakers can do on a shoestring. Aug 28, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (42) audience reviews
Audience Member More Hollywood wish-list. Waste of money. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member loved it very good movie loved Robert Pattison and all the other great actors Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/22 Full Review Audience Member Worst movie I ever saw. There were only about 6 people in the theatre & we all sat in our seats at the end expecting some kind of conclusion that never materialized. We all left dumbfounded & wanting a refund for time we'll never get back. I suppose if you're a hoidy toidy art critic it would be wierd & boring enough to get 5 stars. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member it has its moments and its well filmed but overall the story seemed pretty pointless. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member the funniest comedy I have ever seen. I have never laughed harder. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Un film à l'ambiance et au ton frais et décalé, plein d'humour et de poésie. I loved it ! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

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Cast & Crew

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Patricia Rozema

Director

Sheila McCarthy

Polly Vandersma

Paule Baillargeon

Gabrielle St. Peres

Ann-Marie MacDonald

Mary Joseph

Richard Monette

Clive

John Evans

Warren

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I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

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I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

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Movie Info

Synopsis A charming and whimsical story about a daydreamer with artistic aspirations, Patricia Rozema's fanciful character study follows an amateur photographer Polly (Sheila McCarthy) as she lands a temp job at a Toronto art gallery run by elegant and sophisticated Gabrielle (Paule Baillargeon), who is also a painter. Polly is impressed with Gabrielle's paintings, but as Polly gets to know Gabrielle's lover, Mary (Ann-Marie MacDonald), and becomes entangled in their lives, she realizes that Gabrielle isn't exactly who she appears to be. The absent-minded temp with spiky orange hair and the polished curator with a gift for gab are like night and day, yet a strong connection builds between these two women through their shared love of art, and their genuine curiosity and need for love.
Director
Patricia Rozema
Producer
Alexandra Raffe, Patricia Rozema
Screenwriter
Patricia Rozema
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
National Film Board of Canada, Ontario Film Development Corporation
Rating
R (Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 1, 1987, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Mar 11, 2022
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 13, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.9K
Runtime
1h 21m
Sound Mix
Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)