A ferry captain, a rum bottle, and a circus mermaid walk into a French fishing town...
Michel Sénéchal gave up fishing to please his wife Yvonne. Gone are the trawlers and the waters of Newfoundland. Hello to the Duclair ferry, of which he is commander. One evening, while he is cheating his boredom with a bottle of rum in the streets of the city, he is challenged by the advertisement of a traveling circus that invites you to discover "the mermaid Elsa, the one, the only, the true.
Acting
Jean Lefebvre's rum-soaked melancholy carries the whole thing
Production
Gritty Normandy port atmosphere on what had to be pennies
Director
Serge Pénard
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This barely-released curio captures a specific era of French regional cinema—provincial character studies that played in sleepy afternoon slots before disappearing.
Daniela Akerblom's 'mermaid' was reportedly a last-minute casting after the original performer dropped out—explaining the minimal screen time.
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