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I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

  • 1987
  • R
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Sheila McCarthy in I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:15
2 Videos
13 Photos
ComedyDrama

Scatterbrained Polly gets a job as a secretary in Gabrielle's art gallery. Polly aspires to be a professional photographer, and idolizes Gabrielle for her artistic ability. When Gabrielle re... Read allScatterbrained Polly gets a job as a secretary in Gabrielle's art gallery. Polly aspires to be a professional photographer, and idolizes Gabrielle for her artistic ability. When Gabrielle rekindles an old romantic relationship with the younger painter Mary, Polly becomes jealous,... Read allScatterbrained Polly gets a job as a secretary in Gabrielle's art gallery. Polly aspires to be a professional photographer, and idolizes Gabrielle for her artistic ability. When Gabrielle rekindles an old romantic relationship with the younger painter Mary, Polly becomes jealous, and discovers Gabrielle is not who she claims to be.

  • Director
    • Patricia Rozema
  • Writer
    • Patricia Rozema
  • Stars
    • Sheila McCarthy
    • Paule Baillargeon
    • Ann-Marie MacDonald
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Patricia Rozema
    • Writer
      • Patricia Rozema
    • Stars
      • Sheila McCarthy
      • Paule Baillargeon
      • Ann-Marie MacDonald
    • 23User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos2

    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
    Trailer 2:15
    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing - 2022 US re-release trailer
    Trailer 2:15
    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing - 2022 US re-release trailer
    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing - 2022 US re-release trailer
    Trailer 2:15
    I've Heard the Mermaids Singing - 2022 US re-release trailer

    Photos12

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    Top cast7

    Edit
    Sheila McCarthy
    Sheila McCarthy
    • Polly Vandersma
    Paule Baillargeon
    Paule Baillargeon
    • Gabrielle St. Peres
    Ann-Marie MacDonald
    • Mary Joseph
    Richard Monette
    • Clive
    John Evans
    John Evans
    • Warren
    Brenda Kamino
    Brenda Kamino
    • Waitress
    Patricia Rozema
    Patricia Rozema
    • Woman In Office Window
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Patricia Rozema
    • Writer
      • Patricia Rozema
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.72K
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    Featured reviews

    newnoir

    Absolute Beauty

    What can one say? This is an utterly gorgeous film. It's sort of a cross between 'Brazil' and Woody Allen movies. You can always tell a good director by their choice of background music in their films. This film's director is expert at picking music that adds to the wonderment of many scenes perfectly. Polly the weirdo redhead was one of the great movie characters of the 1980's. You don't just see this film, you live it.
    harry-lin

    One of my all-time favorite movies

    I first saw this Canadian film when it was released in 1987. I was a college undergraduate, and the film has never left my memory since then. The movie is original, startling, lovely, hilarious, and thought-provoking.

    It's a shame that it hasn't been made available on DVD, but I read on the director's official Web site (patriciarozema.com) that Miramax Films is going to re-release the movie. That's exciting! Perhaps they'll also release it on DVD. (Miramax, if you're reading this -- put it out on DVD!)

    If you ever have a chance to see this film, see it.
    10MadRaina

    A beautiful piece of art.

    This canadian masterpiece staring Sheila McCarthy is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. McCarthy's character will touch young starving artists in many ways. The film which is very low key has some amazing scenes that keep your eyes on the screen and your mouth wide open. I feel this movie is very misunderstood by some critics. It cannot be taken too literally. the "daydream sequences" are just that, daydreams. They are there to show you polly's (McCarthy) true inner structure. If you can find this movie, and you like artsy movies that make you think, buy it. Don't bother renting it, because you will just end up buying it anyway.
    10gr15kg

    A Stunningly Realised Piece of Work-= get it now

    One of my top ten favorite films of all time, this is beautifully put together- I can't fault the film in any area, other than its not been released on DVD yet. This is easily the best film to come out of Canada, and Patricia Rozema will have a hard time bettering it. The whole movie plays like an ethereal dream with occasional lapses into consciousness. There are some very funny pieces, and some touching moments too. If you ever rent or buy a film because of a review on here, let it be this one, its totally brilliant, and one of the only films ever to be given a standing ovation by the critics in Cannes when it was first shown.

    Truly magical.
    10sibie

    Absolutely Magical!

    The wonder of this film, like one of the paintings it features, can't be described in words. It is pure magic in the most abstract form! One can't help but adore Polly's originality (Sheila McCarthy). This is a fantastically crafted and acted film. It will trigger your imagination and place a smile on your face. After the film is over, you won't be able to stop dreaming. I can't watch it enough! It is very sad that it is no longer in print (at least last I checked) and I am very lucky to have purchased it in the Laser Disc format when I did. I have been a fan of this film since I was 20 and am still a fan 14 years

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer-director Patricia Rozema has said of this film: "Our voices, our representation of ourselves, have been in the hands of others, namely men, since the beginning of the mediums of film and television. My main character in I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) videotaped a confession that is used through the film. It's her way of having control over her definition of herself" and "I have become post facto a representative of the country. So if you ask, 'Is Mermaids a Canadian film? It has become one. It has become a means whereby people characterize Canadian film. I think in the creation of Mermaids, I did see it in political terms. I thought of the underdog. Canada is not a superpower by any means. It's very quietly, comfortably democratic, but it's plagued by a sense of inferiority".
    • Quotes

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

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Princess Bride/China Girl/The Big Town/The Pick-Up Artist/I've Heard the Mermaids Sing (1987)
    • Soundtracks
      OPEN WINDOW
      By Mark Korven

      Courtesy of Duke Street Records

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mermaids
    • Filming locations
      • Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
      • Ontario Arts Council
      • Ontario Film Development Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • CA$362,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,415,394
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $25,998
      • Sep 13, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,415,394
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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