Like her namesake from Shakespeare's "The Tempest," young Miranda finds herself on a strange island with all kinds of potential for magical and supernatural occurrences. Indeed, her life is shrouded in mystery when she was apparently abandoned by her mother, Amelia. But now, her father, Greg Merchant, has died, and social services has mandated that Miranda return to the auspices of Amelia. This is the story of Miranda' return to Selkie Island.

"Sea Change" is an enormously convoluted story. It also includes a large number of unlikable characters. Even Miranda herself seems hostile to her apparently loving mother, who welcomes the reunion. At the same time, Amelia is hiding a secret from her daughter that is not revealed until the final minutes of the film.

Amelia is an artist who has captured the essence of the "Sleepwakers," creatures who appear in human form and emerge from the sea to demand human sacrifice. A painting in Amelia's home depicts the sirens seeking to attract the sailors of Odysseus. A recent casualty has occurred with the death of Kit Morgan, a skilled diver, whose death was ruled a drowning by the local Sheriff Colley.

But Kit Morgan's death was not accidental, and apparently Sheriff Colley is one of the Sleepwalkers herself. As Miranda becomes attached to the "townie" named Leo, she discovers that he has strange markings on his body that appear at night. And, underwater, he has florescent bug eyes. It turns out that Leo and his sister Naomi are Sleepwalkers. They have scored a "hit" on Kit Morgan, and they are now planning to return the depths of the sea.

Will they take Miranda along with them? Does Miranda herself possess the powers of the Sleepwalkers? It is only in the final moments of the film that it is revealed that Amelia, like Shakespeare's Prospero, is the controlling figure and guardian of her child in a dramatic rescue on Siren Beach. The infant Miranda avoided the fate a s Sleepwalker when the loving mom packed the kid off to Portland. Now, she comes to her rescue again by using her own magical powers to allow her child to remain in the human realm and avoid the fate of sleeping with the fishes.

This movie is a guilty pleasure. I give it 4 stars within its genre (teen, fantasy, TV movie). It's about a teen girl who never knew her mother, and after her father dies suddenly, she is thrust back into her mother's life. Her mother lives on an island, and there are strange things going on, bizarre divisions among the island folk. She begins to realize her father kept her from this world, and from her mother, because of the dangers that lurk from certain people, and maybe even from herself. There are mystifying things (beings?),beneath the ocean waves, but are they friend or foe? I don't want to give too much away. I will say that I have never read the book this is based on, but I liked it well enough that I might now. Also, everyone's main complaint (mine too) is that the ending is left open ended, so that a sequel can be made. I think this needs to be made into a TV series. There are so many great characters in this movie, that a TV series could run on for many seasons. I hope they listen to their fans, and create more!

If you like teen fantasy/horror, then you'll probably like this.

Miranda (Emily Rudd) returns to Selkie Island, Maine where she was born. As an infant her father took her away and now she is seeing her estranged mother (Maria Dizzia) for the first time. She has a strange attraction to Siren Beach, a place where people have drown...like recently. The island is divided into two groups, the heirs, the rich people who own things and the townies who are the disrespected hired help. Miranda is an heir who sympathizes with the townies who are also the dreaded Seawalkers. The mystery is what is Miranda's role in all of this, something that doesn't give real closure.

This is moody teen girl film. There are love interests and scenes that are not very graphic.

Guide: no swearing or sex. distant night time nudity?