SYNOPSIS

Out of These Waters is a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, following Ariel — a mermaid who washes up on the banks of the Thames and arrives in London. Told entirely from her perspective, the film begins as a classic “fish out of water” tale, but evolves into a powerful metaphor for the refugee experience as Ariel is absorbed into systems of care, processed, and misunderstood. No one in the film speaks real English — instead, we use a fictional language that sounds like English but isn’t, placing the audience directly into Ariel’s confusion and sense of alienation. Stylistically inspired by Under the Skin (dir. Jonathan Glazer), the film uses hidden cameras, location filming, and interaction with non-actors to capture the world through what Glazer calls “an alien lens” — seeing our society as strange, disconnected, and often indifferent. Shot with a minimalist, observational style, the film explores themes of identity, belonging, and what it means to be human in a Western society. Ariel doesn’t seek love — she seeks to be part of our world. The final image — a shoreline littered with the lifeless bodies of mermaids — draws direct reference to real-world refugee tragedies, reframing ancient myth as a contemporary, human crisis.

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Director

  Corry Raymond

• Production

  Corry Raymond

• Referent

  Corry Raymond

• Sales

  Corry Raymond