''Mermaid'' (,
translit. ''Rusalka'') is a 1996 Russian animated short film directed by
Aleksandr Petrov and showcasing the
paint-on-glass animation technique for which Petrov is known. The story is based on traditional Slavic folklore about the
''rusalki'', river-dwelling
mermaids
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are ...
said to be "born" from the unhappy souls of young women who had committed suicide by drowning—usually after being mistreated by a man. The Russian "mermaid" is, for this reason, a dangerous creature more akin to the Greek
sirens than to the American archetype such as
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...
' cute and lovable
Ariel.
Plot
As springtime begins to break up the ice on a frozen river, a handsome young novice
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
rescues a naked girl who has apparently fallen into the water. She disappears suddenly, but returns time and time again over the ensuing months—first demonstrating her
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
-like swimming ability (and her surprising technique of catching fish in her teeth!) and then winning the young man's heart with her coquettish flirting and beautiful singing.
The young monk's elderly master comes to understand that the ''rusalka'' is actually the drowned spirit of a girlfriend he himself had loved and betrayed as a youth, and takes steps to protect his naive apprentice from her supernatural revenge. But when the mermaid recognizes the old monk as the man who had once jilted her, it may not be the young apprentice who is in mortal danger.
Awards
*
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
—
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
:
Golden Bear
The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...
Nomination for "Best Animated Short Film"
* 1997—
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...
: "Jury Prize"
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
—
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
: Nominated for "Best Animated Short Film"
* 1998—
Animafest Zagreb
World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to Animation, animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the e ...
: "Grand Prize"
See also
*
Mermaids in popular culture
References
Наше кино - РУСАЛКА dreamtech.ru*
1996 films
1996 animated short films
Films based on fairy tales
Films directed by Aleksandr Petrov
Paint-on-glass animated films
1990s Russian-language films
Russian animated short films
Films about mermaids
Rusalki
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