Inspired by a bedtime story that director M Night Shyamalan created for his children, this muddled fantasy mystery shows every sign of having been made up as it goes along. Paul Giamatti plays the superintendent of an apartment block who discovers a sea nymph of Asian legend (Bryce Dallas Howard) has become stranded in the communal swimming pool. He aids her return to the Blue World, encountering a daft array of "mythological" creatures - including scrunts (grass-haired werewolves) and the tartutic (twig monkeys) - along the way. This self-indulgent nonsense includes a film critic tenant (Bob Balaban) who comments on fantasy clichés; an appearance from Shyamalan himself as a philosopher of future importance; and a kid who deciphers ancient codes from cereal packets. Giamatti does his best to hold things together and fans of the director's previous work may find some entertainment in this deeply silly, artificial and hopelessly naive tale.

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.