Sirens Call

Miri Ian Gossing and Lina Sieckmann’s feature-length debut takes a deep dive into the merfolk subculture on the trail of siren Una. Una leads a nomadic existence in the post-modern reality of a drying-out planet and the film glides along with her – through performance and genre elements, through fiction and documentary. “I’m part human, I recognize that, but I’m not full.” Una’s search for herself and kindred spirits leads her to American diners, shimmering hotel rooms and on a road trip with the young Moth. Trump’s USA looms forth from the car radio. The two of them end up with other merpeople in Portland, a group equally concerned with activism and self-care who have wrested the ancient vision of existence as hybrid beings away from the clutches of consumerist culture. In loving, cool, queer, feminist, technoid and sensual fashion, Gossing / Sieckmann show people who have chosen a life outside the demands of a standardised present. Stylistically brilliant and ingenious in how it transcends the boundaries between genres, SIRENS CALL is an experimental arena for new forms of life and being.