When it came to the Sydney Film Festival for 2016 it was difficult to resist this SFF special; a Polish musical about bisexual vampire mermaids lured into performing in a strip club (Pole dancing for want of a better pun). Or maybe it was the mermaids that did the luring, in which case, to be really pedantic, they should be classified as sirens. Maybe that’s the whole point.
Anyway, The Lure didn’t fail to deliver but deliver exactly what is hard to say. Sure, this is B-grade shlock but shlock at its best. Ignoring all the Polish metaphors and references, and apparently there are many according to the only Pole I know who is deeply embarrassed that the film was made at all, The Lure is nonetheless fascinating.
For starters, there’s plenty of tits and arse, or perhaps tits and fins is more appropriate. Genitals or the lack thereof and what to do with them are a running (swimming?) theme throughout The Lure and a source of constant comic relief. There’s a love story in there somewhere too, plenty of commentary on Polish social and political systems and enough death metal, disco, pop and just about every other musical genre to keep everyone guessing.
But ultimately The Lure is just a lot of macabre fun. Don’t take it seriously and in the unlikely event this gets a general release just go with the questionable music, singing, acting, directing and “storyline”.
Rating: Three wet dreams.
