Swimming

A woman who is fascinated by marine life discovers a group of people who share her passion.

Ide (Mills) is a young woman whose partner (North) has been offered a job in New York City and she is not keen on the idea of leaving Britain. Ide has a very strong interest in the world of fish, constantly observing them, whether in real life inside tanks or in pictures in books. Actually, she wants to be a fish. One day, she finds out about these meetings, where people who wish to be cold-blooded vertebrates of the ocean share their ideas with each other.

This short drama has a rather intriguing plot, which is humans having the desire to be a fish and it explores that concept through the perspective of its heroine, who has that desire. Ide is unhappy with her relationship and spends her time pursuing her unusual dream. She reads books about fish (and steals them), she regularly visits a pet fish store to look at the fish inside the tanks and she keeps cleaning the fishbowl at home, even though the fish have passed away. She appears to be lost and it is when she joins that group extraordinary group that she finds joy and acceptance. The screenplay pretty much explores her life and her obsession with sea creatures.

Ide makes quite an interesting heroine, that being one who wishes to be a fish, and Mills plays the part very convincingly. Her partner seems to have become just a figure in her life, one who threatens her happiness.

Unsurprisingly, since this is a story about fish, all sorts of them can be seen swimming in tanks and it is a rather pleasing site. There are interesting lighting techniques, which look even better thanks to Bethany Yang's cinematography. Commendations also go to Sam Tabasi for the atmospheric music.

This is a surreal story about self-discovery, about following one's dreams and about the joys of being with like-minded people. People wanting to be fish is a weird subject, however the film looks into that seriously, and by doing so, it points out the beauty of nature, particularly the ocean.