From Omeleto.
Two friends hit a rough patch.
MERMAID, B-TCH is used with permission from Victoria Negri. Learn more at https://victorianegri.com.
Lily and Ruby have been best friends for a long time, having seen each other through many ups and downs. But one morning, Lily wakes up and discovers she’s been transformed into a mermaid.
Lily needs Ruby’s help to navigate through this transition and figure out what to do. But facing the challenge also exposes the fault lines of their often co-dependent relationship, just when Lily needs Ruby the most.
Directed by Victoria Negri from a script co-written with Alexi Pappas, this sharp and whimsical short comedy is both a postmodern riff on fairytales and a witty, well-observed portrait of female friendship in all its joys and travails. Blending both a rough-edged yet sunny Californian naturalism with fantastical, colorful elements in its visuals, the storytelling has a modern saltiness, an edge that befits two young women having fun, improvising their way into adulthood and driving each other slightly nuts as they go along. But it also has a core of tenderness that speaks to the genuine love and connection between them, one buried under layers of resentment and irritation.
The premise’s jumping-off point is Lily’s transformation into a mermaid, which kicks off the action right at the start. The film doesn’t belabor the metaphysics or logistics behind the transformation, though Lily’s panic and confusion are real. Ruby’s reaction, though, is hilariously droll — you can practically hear her eye roll over the phone in their initial conversation. From the start, their dynamic is clear: Lily is exciting but dramatic, and Ruby is the put-upon best friend cleaning up after Lily’s messes.
The shots and editing often have a playfulness to them, but as Lily and Ruby, actors Alexi Pappas and Ruby McCollister play their emotions for real underneath their Gen Z drawl, convincingly portraying a long-time friendship rich with history. Many know Pappas through her athletic career as an Olympic runner; here, she deftly portrays an unvarnished, self-focused but ultimately loving friend to McCollister’s witty, often deadpan and exasperated Ruby. Though the friends are fluent in the language of therapy and social justice, they’re still not adept at setting boundaries or expressing or accepting needs with one another. They’re deeply co-dependent, but as they’re forced into a new stage of development, they must recalibrate before facing some decisions on what to do next.
Warm-hearted, easygoing but confident in its vision, MERMAID, B-TCH is, in some ways, a film about growing up emotionally. Adolescence as a stage of development often doesn’t end until the 20s, and for Lily and Ruby, part of their growth is reaching a healthier version of friendship. We don’t know Lily’s ultimate fate or even what their future dynamic will look like, but the storytelling achieves a warmly knowing equanimity as Lily and Ruby acknowledge who they are to one another in this moment. Friends do come and go in life as adulthood takes us down often divergent paths. But in this film, it’s okay and even healthy for things to change as we do. It might just be a friendship’s saving grace and a key to its steadiness amid life’s ups and downs.
