What Miss Mermaid is about — and why it's stranger than it sounds
Miss Mermaid centers on Fanny, a freshly divorced thirty-something who has landed back in Fécamp, Normandy, living with her parents, drowning in debt, and thoroughly uninterested in the idea that what she needs is a new man. That last part matters — because so many films about women in crisis quietly funnel them toward romance as the cure. This one doesn't, or at least it doesn't seem to want to. Instead, Fanny stumbles into the orbit of Anémone, a professional mermaid, and something clicks. What begins as idle curiosity about a genuinely niche subculture — people who perform underwater in elaborate silicone tails — slowly becomes a vehicle for Fanny to reclaim herself on her own terms. The 91-minute runtime keeps things tight, which is the right call for a story this specific.
How Miss Mermaid came together — directors, cast, and production
Miss Mermaid is the first fiction feature from co-directors Pauline Brunner and Marion Verlé, which is either a reason for caution or excitement depending on your appetite for debut filmmakers. Honestly, the production credentials suggest the latter. The film is a France-Belgium co-production backed by Folivari and Panique!, with France 3 Cinéma attached — not exactly a scrappy, no-budget affair. The screenplay was written by Brunner, Verlé, and Marie Eynard, keeping the creative vision tightly held within a small core team.
As Cineuropa reported, Aloïse Sauvage — a French singer-actress with genuine screen presence — is in the lead role of Fanny. Alison Wheeler plays Anémone, the professional mermaid who sets the story in motion. Thomas VDB (Thomas Vandenberghe) and Annie Mercier round out the principal cast. Domestic distribution in France falls to Jour2Fête, with Urban Sales handling international rights. Pre-acquisitions from Canal+, Ciné+ and France Télévisions on the television side signal that broadcasters already see value here before a single review has landed.
According to AlloCiné, the film is scheduled for theatrical release in France on July 1, 2026. Detailed box office figures and international distribution beyond France aren't documented yet — it's early days — and no formal awards submissions have been announced. The runtime clocks in at approximately 91 minutes, which feels right for a comedy-drama that doesn't want to outstay its welcome.
The performances and craft that anchor Miss Mermaid
What's striking is how much of this film's potential rests on Aloïse Sauvage's shoulders — and from everything we know about her, that's not a burden she's likely to drop. Sauvage has a quality that's hard to manufacture: a kind of off-center charisma that makes you believe she might actually put on a mermaid tail just to feel something again. That's the emotional core of Fanny as a character, and it requires an actor who can play both the comedy and the quiet desperation without letting either collapse into the other.
Alison Wheeler as Anémone is the film's wild card. Wheeler is a comedian by trade, and casting her as the professional mermaid who catalyzes Fanny's transformation is a smart choice — she can carry the absurdity of the mermaiding premise without making it a joke. The film seems to understand that the comedy and the sincerity have to coexist, that you can laugh at a grown woman learning to swim in a silicone tail and still feel moved by what it means to her. That balance is genuinely difficult to pull off.
I keep coming back to the Fécamp setting, too. Normandy as a backdrop for a story about aquatic reinvention isn't accidental — there's something about the grey Atlantic coast, the fishing-town weight of it, that makes Fanny's escape into the water feel both absurd and completely logical. The film's French-language production keeps it grounded in a specific cultural texture that a more internationally smoothed-out version would lose.
Where to stream Miss Mermaid online
Miss Mermaid is currently available on major OTT services — check the Where-to-Watch widget at the top of this page for the most current platform breakdown, since streaming rights can shift without much notice. Movie OTT tracks streaming availability across major platforms in real time, so if the title moves between services or new regional rights are confirmed, that widget will reflect it first. What we can say is that the pre-acquisition deals with Canal+ and Ciné+ mean French viewers will likely see it on those platforms following the theatrical window. International streaming rights beyond France haven't been formally announced as of this writing. Movie OTT will update platform listings as distribution agreements are confirmed — this is exactly the kind of limited-release title where availability varies significantly by region, and movieott.com is built to surface those differences clearly.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Where can I watch Miss Mermaid?
Miss Mermaid is available on major OTT services — the Where-to-Watch widget on this page has the current platform list. Movie OTT updates streaming availability as new rights are confirmed, so check back if your preferred platform isn't listed yet.
Q: Who directed Miss Mermaid?
The film was co-directed by Pauline Brunner and Marion Verlé, making it their first fiction feature together. The screenplay was written by Brunner, Verlé, and Marie Eynard.
Q: Who plays Fanny in Miss Mermaid?
Aloïse Sauvage plays Fanny, the film's lead — a freshly divorced woman from Fécamp who discovers professional mermaiding as a route to personal reinvention. Alison Wheeler appears as Anémone, the professional mermaid who changes Fanny's trajectory.
Q: Is Miss Mermaid based on a true story?
Not as far as we know. The film is an original dramedy, though the mermaiding subculture it depicts — people who perform underwater in silicone tails — is very real and genuinely niche.
Q: How long is Miss Mermaid?
The film runs approximately 91 minutes. It's a French-language production, a co-production between France and Belgium, distributed in France by Jour2Fête.
Who should watch Miss Mermaid — and what to expect
Miss Mermaid is for anyone who's tired of films that treat divorce as a setup for the next romance. It's odd. Specific. Set on the Normandy coast with a protagonist who decides that a silicone mermaid tail might be the thing that saves her — and the film seems to believe her. If you're drawn to French dramedies that sit in the uncomfortable space between laughing and meaning it, this one belongs on your list. Hard to say if it sticks the landing, but the setup is worth your 91 minutes.
