Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- passionate
- melancholic
- stylish
- classic cinema night
- noir double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film’s stylishly unstable blend of romantic melodrama and neo-noir, anchored by the performances of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Louis remains devoted to the woman he believes is Julie despite her deception and criminal flight.
Louis constructs his beloved from correspondence and a photograph before meeting the woman who arrives.
Marion impersonates Julie, marries Louis, takes his money, and becomes the center of his pursuit.
The plantation setting on Réunion Island makes Louis's loneliness and entrapment visually and psychologically pronounced.
Films like Mississippi Mermaid, and why
The Postman Always Rings Twice
shared neo-noir atmosphere, obsessive romance, femme fatale, and moral disintegration
Vertigo
shared fatalistic passion, criminal deception, and stylized noir melodrama
Les Diaboliques
shared French romantic crime tension, doomed desire, and emotionally volatile performances
Movie Details
- Director
- François Truffaut
- Release Date
- 1969-06-18
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (229)
Cast
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Catherine Deneuve
- Michel Bouquet
- Nelly Borgeaud
- Martine Ferrière
- Marcel Berbert
- Yves Drouhet
- Roland Thénot
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mississippi Mermaid about?
- A lonely Réunion plantation owner’s dream of perfect love becomes an obsessive pursuit through deception, crime, and noir fatalism.
- What is Mississippi Mermaid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mississippi Mermaid as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mississippi Mermaid violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Mississippi Mermaid as mild.
- What did critics think of Mississippi Mermaid?
- Critics broadly admire the film’s stylishly unstable blend of romantic melodrama and neo-noir, anchored by the performances of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve.
- Which films are like Mississippi Mermaid?
- Films with a similar feel include The Postman Always Rings Twice, Vertigo, and Les Diaboliques.
- How long is Mississippi Mermaid?
- Mississippi Mermaid runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mississippi Mermaid?
- In United States, Mississippi Mermaid streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
