Song of the Sea is a breath --- no, a blast --- of fresh salty air. A candy-colored musical set on a cruise ship featuring flappers, merry Vikings, murderous intrigue, and the promise of a wedding, this film's tongue is so far into its cheek it's a wonder anyone can get their lines out.
I saw it at a screening of USC student films, and on a bill with several dour examinations of childhood angst, this film went off like fireworks.
The savvy cast plays each goofy absurdity with a charming amateurishness that for the most part seems intentional; the music and lyrics are bold in their cheesiness, and at times, surprisingly sharp; and the director has chosen his shots and cuts as if he were inventing cliches on the spot. Silly incidents, painful puns, and bad wigs pile up on each other right up to an ending so abrupt and absurd that it can only make you laugh with wonder at the corny, ballsy idea of the whole enterprise.
Bravo.
