Paddling

A young man struggles to find direction in his life.

This feature drama follows a man's life as it reaches a turning point. Sam (Parry) is in a relationship with Juliet (Waller) and they live together in Margate and he enjoys paddleboarding. However, he is unhappy with his life and quits his job, much to his partner's disapproval. As Sam becomes more and more pointless, Juliet asks him to leave. Unwillingly, he goes to stay with his parents while he tries to figure things out.

The two main subjects that are explored here are relationships and self-discovery. Regarding relationships, that is mainly examined through the situation between Sam and Juliet. Right from the beginning, things among those two are not too great, with Sam disliking his job and their love life being empty. Sam appears to be keen for their romance to continue, while Juliet does not have the same feelings for him anymore and wants to move on. Their situation as a couple is contrasted with the relationship between Juliet's sister Monica (Gabriella Aila) and her partner Charles (Alex Grant), who seem happy together and have a baby, while Sam and Juliet are chidless and on the brink of separating. Also, the anatomy of relationships is further explored through Sam's parents and his friend Frankie (Faber), who is struggling to find a soulmate. The film appears to be asking what makes a relationship, what is required in order for a relationship to work?

Going to self-discovery now, Sam's character dramatically goes through that stage throughout. He is a young guy who has an epiphany and realises that the life he is living is not the one he wants and after he is estranged from his long-term partner, he finds himself lost in a maze, not knowing what to do, how to move on with his life.

The story is told through Sam's perspective and Parry convincingly portrays a youngster who is lost in the world and within himself. He deeply cares for Juliet and she is a decent and caring person, however she believes that Sam has changed and they cannot be together anymore.

The music by Robert Venning is a big plus as it significantly contributes in creating a dramatic atmosphere, particularly due to the piano melodies.

This is a slow-burning and emotional story with great character development and it is about a person who goes downhill as he is trying to find himself. As mentioned self-discovery and relationships are key themes in this feature and so is the idea of acknowledging and pursuing the things that bring happiness to oneself.