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From Butt Boy<\/em> to a feral mermaid romance, writer\/director TYLER CORNACK leans into the absurd\u2014and finds surprising heart.<\/p>\n There are films that defy easy categorization\u2014and then there\u2019s MERMAID, writer\/director Tyler Cornack\u2019s latest plunge into the absurd, the grotesque, and\u2014perhaps most unexpectedly\u2014the deeply human.<\/p>\n I first spoke with Cornack back in 2020 about his debut feature Butt Boy<\/em>, a film as hilariously twisted as its title suggests. So stepping into MERMAID, one might reasonably expect more of the same brand of shock-driven oddity.\u00a0\u00a0Instead, what emerges is something far more interesting: growth.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of this isn\u2019t really a mermaid movie,\u201d Cornack tells me. \u201cIt\u2019s about loneliness\u2026about people who live in this subculture in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n And at the center of it all is Doug.<\/p>\n A Lovable Lost Soul\u2026with a Mermaid Problem<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Doug, played with disarming sincerity by Johnny Pemberton, is a drug-addled, socially awkward man whose life is already teetering when he discovers an injured mermaid in the Gulf waters.<\/p>\n But this is no storybook siren.<\/p>\n This creature\u2014named Destiny\u2014is feral, damaged, and, at times, downright horrifying. She spews black tar-like bile. Her teeth evoke something closer to nightmare than fantasy. And yet\u2026Doug sees a girlfriend.<\/p>\n Uh oh.<\/p>\n And somehow\u2014against all odds\u2014you understand why.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the most important choice,\u201d Cornack says of casting Pemberton. \u201cOn paper, this guy isn\u2019t the greatest guy on Earth. But Johnny brings such a natural light\u2026so much silliness and awkwardness.\u201d<\/p>\n The result is a tonal tightrope that MERMAID walks with surprising confidence: a one-sided romantic comedy wrapped inside a creature feature, grounded by a performance that invites empathy where none should logically exist.\u00a0\u00a0And that\u2019s the trick. You don\u2019t just watch Doug\u2014you root for him.<\/p>\n Not Your Disney Mermaid (Not Even Close)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Cornack was adamant from the outset: this would not be Splash<\/em>, nor The Shape of Water<\/em>, nor any of the century\u2019s worth of cinematic mermaid mythology.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to do a mermaid like nobody\u2019s seen,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you found something in the Gulf of Mexico\u2026 it wouldn\u2019t be pretty. It would be scuffed up and messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n The design reflects that philosophy. This is a creature shaped by environment, not fantasy\u2014more animal than myth. And yet, thanks to thoughtful prosthetics and cinematography by Joe Lavold, there remains an unexpected visual beauty\u2014an iridescence that flickers through the grime.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a contradiction that mirrors Doug himself.<\/p>\n Florida as Character, Not Backdrop<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n For Cornack, authenticity begins with place.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in this town where we shot,\u201d he explains. \u201cThese characters\u2014I\u2019ve seen them my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n From beach bar regulars (a scene-stealing Robert Patrick sporting a gloriously over-the-top tan) to suburban oddities straight out of lived experience, MERMAID populates its world with people who feel less written than observed.<\/p>\n \u201cI start with characters,\u201d Cornack says. \u201cThe mermaid comes later.\u201d<\/p>\n That approach grounds the film, giving emotional context to even its most outlandish elements. This isn\u2019t surrealism detached from reality\u2014it\u2019s surrealism rooted in it.<\/p>\n Visual Grammar: Sunlight, Claustrophobia, and the Real<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Working again with cinematographer Joe Lavold, Cornack leans into a visual style that favors immediacy over stylization.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted it to feel like you\u2019re actually in the room,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause we were.\u201d<\/p>\n That commitment is especially evident in the film\u2019s most intimate\u2014and physically constrained\u2014sequences, particularly those set in Doug\u2019s cramped bathroom, where Destiny is hidden.\u00a0\u00a0The result is a tactile, almost claustrophobic realism. No sweeping fantasy lighting. No romanticized glow. Just heat, tight spaces, and the uncomfortable proximity of man and monster.<\/p>\n And notably, much of the horror unfolds in broad daylight.<\/p>\n \u201cThat felt true to Florida,\u201d Cornack notes.<\/p>\n Collaboration, Chaos, and a 10-Day Mermaid<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n If MERMAID feels organic, it\u2019s because much of it was forged in real-time problem-solving.<\/p>\n The mermaid itself was a last-minute scramble.<\/p>\n \u201cWe lost the actor and had to rebuild everything,\u201d Cornack explains. \u201cThe suit was made in ten days.\u201d<\/p>\n Ten.<\/p>\n What followed was a collaborative whirlwind\u2014bringing in performer Avery Potemri (whose background in dance informed the creature\u2019s feral physicality) and prosthetic designer Mark Villalobos to create something that feels both visceral and alive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt almost worked out better,\u201d Cornack reflects. \u201cThose problems lead to better solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a philosophy that extends across the film\u2014from editing with Cole Eckerle (who was embedded in every phase of production) to Cornack unexpectedly composing the score himself.<\/p>\n Sound, Tone, and a Surprisingly Melancholic Pulse<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n That score\u2014synth-driven, atmospheric, and tinged with melancholy\u2014became a guiding force during production.<\/p>\n \u201cI had it done before we started shooting,\u201d Cornack says. \u201cWe would play it on set. It helped everyone understand the tone\u2014how sad this actually is.\u201d<\/p>\n Sad.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first word one might associate with a film about a man hiding a feral mermaid in his bathroom. And yet, it\u2019s precisely that undercurrent that elevates MERMAID beyond novelty.<\/p>\n Even Robert Patrick, Cornack notes with amusement, was listening to the score while riding his Harley.<\/p>\n \u201cIt made me laugh,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n From Chaos Comes Growth<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n If MERMAID proves anything, it\u2019s that Cornack is evolving\u2014not away from his offbeat sensibilities, but deeper into them.<\/p>\n \u201cI learned to let things happen,\u201d he says. \u201cThings go wrong\u2014but those solutions are often better than what you planned.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s an indie filmmaking ethos, certainly\u2014but also a creative one.<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes something else,\u201d he adds. \u201cLike a painting. It\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Love, in All Its Strange Forms<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n At its core, MERMAID is not about a creature.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about connection.<\/p>\n About loneliness.<\/p>\n About the human tendency to project meaning\u2014and love\u2014onto the things we don\u2019t fully understand.\u00a0\u00a0Or, in Doug\u2019s case\u2026onto something that probably wants to bite his face off.<\/p>\n And yet, in Cornack\u2019s hands, even that feels oddly\u2026sweet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n by debbie elias, exclusive interview 04\/02\/2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With a cast that features Johnny Pemberton, Avery Potemri, Kevin Nealon, Kirk Fox, Julia Larson, Devyn McDowell, and Tom Arnold with Robert Patrick and Kevin Dunn. . .
\nMERMAID is in select theatres on April 8, 2026.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n