By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The SXSW 2025 premiere is swimming toward wider release.
Utopia will release MERMAID, written and directed by Tyler Cornack, to select theaters April 8. Johnny Pemberton, Avery Potemri, Kevin Nealon, Kirk Fox, Julia Larson, Devyn McDowell, Tom Arnold, Robert Patrick and Kevin Dunn star; the synopsis: “Doug [Pemberton] is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug’s reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak—so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature [Potemri] clinging to life. For Doug, it’s a sign from the Universe—so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.”
