Mermaids

Mermaids

Year: 2003

Runtime: 84 mins

Language: English

Director: Ian Barry

FantasyRomance

A new kind of tail! Mermaid sisters hunt down their father’s human killer… and deal with their own personal relationships with the humans.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Mermaids (2003)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Mermaids (2003). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day

Set in a contemporary coastal environment with modern policing and technology. The mermaid sisters travel between underwater and land, using everyday locations like cafes and sea parks to interact with humans. A treasure hunt and a murder investigation anchor the plot in the here and now.

Location

Open water, coastal town, sea park, Mallick's warehouse, cafe

The action unfolds on the open sea and in a nearby coastal town. It moves between a working waterfront, a cafe where Venus performs, a sea park where June works, and a warehouse where Mallick stores the merman’s body. The setting blends harsh maritime industry with moments of ordinary life among humans who are unaware of the mermaid world.

🌊 Ocean 🏖️ Coastal town 🔎 Crime 🐚 Marine life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:01

Main Characters – Mermaids (2003)

Meet the key characters of Mermaids (2003), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

John Mallick (Sean Taylor)

A ruthless, money-driven fisherman who uses soda bombs to harvest coral and is willing to kill to cover his crimes. He embodies greed and a pragmatic violence, pursuing a chest of sunken treasure and the merman’s body to override any threat. His confrontations with the mermaid sisters push them to confront human exploitation of the sea.

🎣 Greed 💥 Violence 🪙 Treasure

Diana

The eldest mermaid sister, armed with superhuman strength and a magical trident that can turn into a comb. She despises humans but ventures onto land to seek justice for her father's murder. Despite her hostility, she chooses to stay on land to watch over her sisters.

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid ⚔️ Power 🌊 Ocean

Venus

The middle sister who is forced to work at a cafe, performing as a mermaid in a tank. She uses her voice and magic to influence humans and navigate life on land, all while longing for independence and freedom. Her loyalty to family competes with her personal wish to live freely.

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid 🎭 Performance 🪗 Freedom

June

The youngest sister who has lived among humans for years and works at a sea park. She falls in love with Randy and ultimately reveals her true mermaid identity. June’s optimism and willingness to bridge human and mermaid worlds helps advance the plan to defeat Mallick.

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid 💘 Love 🗺️ Bridge

Randy

A marine patrolman who is torn between his girlfriend Cynthia and his growing love for June. He assists the sisters and becomes involved when June reveals her true identity, showing his protective side and capacity for change.

🛡️ Protector 💑 Love ⚖️ Duty

Cynthia

Randy’s longtime girlfriend who remains on land; she is unaware of the mermaid secret. Her relationship with Randy highlights the human emotional stakes and the costs of keeping secret worlds hidden.

❤️ Love 🧭 Loyalty 👩‍💼 Human World

Betty Barker

A human woman connected to the sea world through the treasure and mermaid heritage she has forgotten. Her memory loss and choice to stay on land reflect how ordinary lives intersect with the mermaid mythos.

🫧 Heritage 🌊 Sea 🧭 Memory

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:01

Major Themes – Mermaids (2003)

Explore the central themes of Mermaids (2003), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👭 Sisterhood

Three mermaid sisters with very different lives reunite to take action after their father’s murder. They navigate rival personalities, loyalties, and protective instincts to safeguard their world from human threats. The film uses their shared bond to explore resilience, trust, and the costs of keeping secrets. Despite conflicts, the sisters choose to stand together against Mallick and help each other find justice.

🐟 Sea exploitation

The film centers on violent, illegal fishing and the desecration of coral reefs, driven by greed. Mallick’s willingness to harm marine life and murder demonstrates how exploitation harms both people and ecosystems. The mermaids’ interference reveals a clash between human appetite for wealth and the sea’s fragile balance. The treasure quest also ties greed to moral consequences.

🗝️ Hidden identities

The sisters hide their true mermaid nature from humans as they navigate land and sea. Powers like Diana’s trident and Venus’s siren abilities create tension around secrecy and protection. The revelation of June’s identity strains relationships with Randy and challenges how humans react to miracles and myths. The story uses disguise and truth to question what it means to belong.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:01

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Mermaids Summary

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Mermaids Timeline

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Mermaids Timeline

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Mermaids Spoiler-Free Summary

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