Quote:
"Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing is an especially appropriate film to discuss in the context of [Laura] Mulvey's call for a counter-cinema, because in a number of ways it does what Mulvey suggests. It subverts most male-centred conventions of female representation by refusing the voyeuristic pleasure of objectifying or fetishizing women and it also interferes with the male-active, female-passive dynamics of most mainstream films. At the same time, however, Mermaids is visually appealing, emotionally complex, and fun to watch, whether or not one is consciously aware of the conventions it is subverting."
-- Marilyn Fabe

Source:
Fabe, Marilyn. "Feminism and Film Form: Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing." In Closely Watched Films: An Introduction to the Art of Narrative Film Technique. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. (p. 215)