Best UK Feature Nominee
Film ticket includes Q&A with Director Luke Cutforth, book author Caroline Smailes and Cast members James Tarpey, Rebecca Hanssen & Producer Josh Winslade.
When an awkward, heavily bullied schoolboy from a dysfunctional home discovers a beautiful water nymph hiding in an abandoned Edwardian bathhouse, he must confront his own personal demons in order to save them both from the depraved custodian who keeps the enchanted waters alive with the ritual sacrifice of children.
Review: Where do you go when home and school are equally hellish? This is the problem facing young Arthur Braxton. In his house is a depressed, dependent dad who requires the care he should be giving his son; and in class, he is either ignored or the target of taunts for not fitting in with the cool crowd.
Arthur finds solace in an abandoned Victorian swimming pool; a place filled with mystery, some mildew, and most uniquely a beautiful girl who lives in the water. Now Arthur has a reason to get up each day; but as his life changes, he must reconcile the pain of his past with his hope for the future.
In adapting Caroline Smailes’ book of the same name, first-time feature filmmaker Luke Cutforth exhibits both a wisdom beyond his years, and an understanding of the universal and individual trauma of adolescence. Fans of both Smailes, and Cutforth’s popular YouTube output, will be captivated by this collaboration; while there is also much for newcomers and cinephiles to enjoy in this coming-of-age that recalls Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks Of Being A Wallflower among others.
Just when you thought it was safe to get out of the water…
Pauline Rieux
