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When I wrote whatever the column equivalent of a mini-series is with my “Best Overlooked Films Revisited” articles, my goal was to shed some light on great films that it seems like nobody but me saw, hopefully getting them a little more attention and some more fans. I’ve often considered myself a champion of the little guy (I’ve been trying to convince everyone that team USA has a chance against England in the World Cup) especially when the indie Davids tend to be so much better than the Hollywood Goliaths.

Now that I’ve caught all of you up on the great overlooked films released since 2004, we can start talking about movies that are currently being released in theaters and on DVD. Hopefully you’ve seen a few of the titles I’ve mentioned and you realize just how amazing these movies are. So while you’re trying to decide which ‘80s reboot you’d rather see, The Karate Kid and The A-Team, you can get the inside scoop on the great movies that aren’t getting talked about on Entertainment Tonight or, really, anywhere else… ever. Until now!

There are a few directors I love who I feel don’t get nearly enough attention, and near the top of that list is Neil Jordan. Jordan is, in my humble but always right opinion, one of the most unique and underrated auteurs working today. And yes, he is very much an auteur, both because he writes and directs the majority of his films and because he imparts his own personal directorial stamp on each work that he creates. Anyone looking for evidence of that, or anyone looking to see a beautiful, magnificent and moving film, should see Jordan’s latest effort, Ondine.

Jordan’s films have a powerful and poetic quality to them, both in the way the story unfolds and in the way he creates incredible visuals as a way of telling his story. Jordan’s most famous film is the touching love story The Crying Game, which is still shocking nearly 20 years after its initial release. I don’t want to spoil this classic for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but suffice it to say that it is a captivating and stunning film that must be seen to be believed, and it is no surprise that it made a splash upon its release.

Ondine is very similar, both tonally and thematically, to Jordan’s earlier work (hence the auteur status). The film tells the story of Syracuse (played by Colin Farrell), a recovering alcoholic working as a fisherman in Ireland, struggling to make a living while looking after his daughter, who lives with her heavy drinking mother and her mother’s new boyfriend. While out on his ship one day, Syracuse discovers a strange woman (played by Polish actress/singer Alicja Bachleda) in the water; she calls herself Ondine, and she may be a mermaid. She has the remarkable power of singing into the ocean and drawing the fish to her, helping Syracuse’s fishing business. But when Ondine’s past resurfaces, Syracuse’s life becomes significantly more complicated.

You could, if you were so inclined, call Ondine a fairy tale for adults, and its combination of whimsical fantasy and gritty realism are overwhelming, making this a truly remarkable film. The story is interesting and the tension as the film progresses becomes engrossing, but it is Jordan’s directorial flourish that makes this film a must-see. The colors he evokes from the ocean setting, with the help of cinematographer Christopher Doyle, create a beautiful, almost ethereal tone or the film.

Jordan’s films often concern the idea of identity, of trying to understand who you are as a person. Both The Crying Game and Breakfast on Pluto explore their characters' gender and sexual identity, as the films’ protagonists try to understand and accept the changes inside of them when others can’t. Even the awful The Brave One, which Jordan did not write, is about its main character’s identity development following a traumatic event and its aftermath. Ondine is no different, as Syracuse deals with the lifestyle changes that come with being a father and a recovering alcoholic, all while he tries to understand Ondine’s enigmatic identity. The film subtly and gracefully embraces the idea that nothing is set in stone, that anyone can redefine themselves however they want to, and create the kind of life they want.

Sadly, Jordan hasn’t been able to spread his message very far, as Ondine is so far only on five screens. I’ve only seen it because it was pre-released on Comcast Video On Demand. Hopefully this magnificent film, which features Colin Farrell’s best performance since his Golden Globe winning turn in In Bruges, will expand so that as many people as possible can experience it.