Leave it to “Butt Boy” filmmaker Tyler Cornack to put a new twist on mermaid-Meets-Man love story.
Cornack, whose work John Waters has praised, writes and directs SXSW 2025 Function “Mermaid” about a lone drug addict as a friend with a beautiful mythical creature. The horror comedy is led by Johnny Pembement, with Avery Potemri as a titular mermaid.
The official synopsis reads: “Divorce and lonely, Florida drug -dependent Doug (Pemberton) shares custody of her young daughter with her ex. Dougs rolls from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond gloomy, so Doug Zipsar his boat out into the bay to end the pain in his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured mermaid (potemri) creature that clings to life. For Doug it is a sign from the universe, so he takes her home, gives her protection in the bathtub and starts taking care of her back to health. When their report blooms come out about his secret and he is forced to protect his new friend in some way necessary. ”
Robert Patrick, Kevin Nealon, Kevin Dunn, Kirk Fox and Tom Arnold co -star.
Corneck said in a press release that “mermaid” is his “Absurdist love letters to Florida“As a whole.
“Florida (is) a place that I think is beautiful and horrible at the same time, unpredictable but still as wild and free. Filled to the edge with stupid characters and odd stories that come with each of them, ”Cornack said. “I guess the geniuses came to me as a child and looked at the beach bottom sludge their words at my family’s hotel Tiki -bar. Hear the stories of alligators eating dogs and children. Always bounce and blur the lines between scary, surreal and fun. That’s what I call Florida. And that’s what this movie is for me. ”
Corneck continued, “Beyond Florida, this story is about a lonely. The mermaid is not the only fish out of the water, if you want to … while you wrote it it became extremely personal, not only in a career meaning, but also personally on many levels. I would not dare to endure you with the details, but in short, I think we all have a little doug in us. ”
“Mermaid” is executive produced by Billy Morean, Jason Korsstad, Johnny Pemberton and Sara McFarlane. Daniel Brandt, Dane Eckerle and Cole Eckerle produce.
“Mermaid” premieres March 8 at SXSW as a sales title from XYZ movies. Check out the teaser, an indifire exclusive, below.
