MerPeople Review: Directed by Cynthia Wade, this four-part Netflix documentary follows the people who are pursuing mermaid(ing) as their profession. It is produced by Scout Productions for Netflix, with executive producers Michael Williams, David Collins, Joel Chiodi, Rob Eric, Andréanna Seymore and Roland Ballester. Angela Almeida serves as a producer while Boaz Freund and Jenny Baumert have done the cinematography.
The featured cast of the documentary includes Mermaid Morgana Alba, Mermaid Sparkles, Mermaid Chè Monique and Mermaid Blixunami, Arlene Brooks, Barbara Wyns, Eric Ducharme, Ruth Greaning, Mermaid Pixi, Carrie Wata and many others.
Right from the start, the creators show a rather concerning scene where the mermaids are rushing out of the water due to chlorine getting into their eyes and washing them off quickly. You would think on the basis of the scene that they will be showing all the beautiful and dark sides of the profession. But all you get is a dramatic story of struggle, hope to make it in the industry and the shiny surface of it all that probably many already knew about.
The series majorly talks about Weeki Wachee mermaid shows which popularised the profession and influenced many others to pursue it. Many ex-mermaids that worked there are featured and they share their filtered-out experience of working there. Other casts also refer to them as the starting point of their obsession. Other than that, we follow the journey of a struggling performer, Mermaid Sparkles, who wants to get into the industry but her geographical location doesn’t allow her many opportunities.
The next is Morgana Alba, the founder of Circus Siren Pod, which is tagged as an elite group of mermaids who does shows from city to city. Similar to Sparkles, Blixunami is also trying to make his name in the industry and we get to see pageants, conventions, competitions, auditions, shows and many more opportunities for people to pursue their fish-tailed passion.
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One of the biggest flaws with the series is that the creators failed to create a connection between the cast and the audience. Instead of understanding their point of view and interest in this culture, we feel more like an outsider who isn’t able to empathise or relate with their experiences. The factor that contributed to it is the jump cut editing which jumps from an emotional scene to a completely random point in another cast’s life. Like in one scene, a cast is sharing their emotional struggle with drugs and addiction and in a few seconds we are in this flashy showcase audition with bright smiles.
The creators do not have a single direction for the show. Although they are trying to push towards the dramatic reality show genre, where a person is torn down by rejections and constant struggle, yet make it to the top in the end. On the other hand, is the informative part which is comparatively less. In that case, they should have just focused on selective casts and their journey, instead of trying to cover anything they can find.
There was so much that could have been explored, like the King and Queen of the Sea Pageant. We could have gotten a perspective of the people who were judging and the reason behind choosing certain individuals as the winners and the various rounds in detail. Unfortunately, the final result is a disjointed, shallow piece of a subject that remains hidden in unexplored territory.
MerPeople Review
The timing of the documentary is right on with the release of The Little Mermaid, which got into a controversy over the casting. The Netflix show also talks about POC representation in the Mermaiding community briefly, other than that, it only dips the toes in the water without ever even stepping inside. The only good thing to take away from it is the intro song called Black Sea by Natasha Blume.
Rating: 2/5
MerPeople is currently streaming on Netflix.
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