It’s not ripped from the headlines, but Tyler Cornack’s comedy “Mermaid” certainly seems inspired by them — specifically, the strange “Florida Man” news stories that have become a meme-friendly ...

The story follows the elephant keeper in the Beijing Zoo who maintains an aquarium of fish in her home (hence the two-animal title), and her lesbian lover, a fabric saleswoman in an outdoor market.

Writer-director Tyler Cornack looks for the heartbreak in a heightened genre premise. But the tall tale never quite hooks you. It’s not ripped from the headlines, but Tyler Cornack’s comedy ...