The Mermaid is directed by Stephen Chow and will be one of a few Chow films that I end up reviewing. There are a few of Chow’s films that have reached the mainstream such as Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, but there are a ton of his other works that I believe have incredible cultural value - The Mermaid being one of them.
The Mermaid is Chow’s approach to environmental consciousness. And much like his other works, the humor is irreplicable, absurd and never overly inappropriate. The Mermaid is the story about a development project that is to take place by the water, but the fact that China has slowly polluted its waters to the near-death extinction of local Mermaids. In response, The Mermaids have decided to become shank-wielding assassins to kill the building developers. The film slowly becomes a romance film between one of the mermaids and the developer, and an overall change of heart regarding the continuation of the project.
With Chow’s signature comedic style, the film definitely would appeal to students, but It’s hard to place The Mermaid in a classroom. An environmental science classroom might be a place for this film or perhaps a class that would like a humorous and school appropriate way to discuss climate change.