Why is the 1990 film mermaids called mermaids ?
Because the whole movie is sort of centered around water and the sea. There are so many nuances in this movie about it. I think the girls sort of represent mermaids. They swim and float from town to town, life to life. And then there are the not so subtle reasonings for the title. The youngest daughter loving to swim, the room looking like under water, when they are all in the tub when Mrs. Flax is dressed like a mermaid, etc. According to the author of the original novel, Patty Dann: “Mrs Flax is like a mermaid. She feels unsafe falling in love with the men she dates, preferring instead to skim the surface of life. To risk total immersion could mean losing her identity and freedom and inviting heartache. As for Charlotte she resembles a mermaid poised on the shore, waiting to jump in, unsure whether she’ll sink or swim.
