Vindication Swim: Channelling the Truth

Cold Water

One of the members of the radio play reading group I'm in was an extra in the Independent film: Vindication Swim, so a bunch of us went to see it premier at Worthing's magnificent Dome Cinema, a star in its own right, making our way past the Town Crier, in full regalia, posing for photographs in front of a sublime daffodil-coloured vintage car with rapt viewers.

Shock Value

It's a familiar sight nowadays to see a small knot of women on Brighton and Hove beaches in woolly hats, socks and gloves taking to he freezing sea during Autumn and Winter months - meant to boost one's immune system and invigorate one's health, according to Ice Man, Wim Hoff; the physical shock mitigated by resulting health benefits. 

Different Strokes

Strange, however, to revisit, on screen ,the beautifully sumptuous cars and costumes of the 1920s, then experience the sharp shock of society's attitudes back then. Stark contrasts between upper classes and lower classes; sharp divisions between male and female roles and social expectations; uncomfortable reminders of racial prejudices. For Mercedes Gleitze, the heroine of the story, being of German heritage was very much an issue, as well as her being a working class woman, attractive and single. The mores of society, then, meant she was unable to secure backing to fund her mission - to take up the challenge to be the first British woman to swim the English Channel.

The First Dip

None of us had heard of Mercedes Gleitze and her extraordinary feat, but then, neither had young writer-director, Elliott Hasler, the shock discovery of which prompted him to set about making her name and achievement more well known (in that he has succeeded; following the premier, the film will appear in a further 100 other cinemas) thus honouring the memory of Mercedes and all she had to overcome in order to fulfil her dream, which took 8 failed attempts, before success, 1927, and that fateful Vindication Swim the following year. 

Test of Endurance

Elliott was forced to abide by  Covid restrictions, which stretched filming to 4 years. Fortunately, after the screening, our evening was extended to include a Q&A session, between Elliot Hasler; debut star Kirsten Callaghan, and lead male John Locke (who deserves an Oscar for his face alone!) Fascinating to learn how Elliott made his 1st film at the age of 10, and a hugely successful follow-on at the age of 14; the story of his great-grandfather's escape from a prisoner-of-war camp during WW2

Success

Purely fired by passion for the craft of film-making, Elliott had never attended film school; and that dedication won the support of many; costumes and vintage cars, as well as equipment and technical skills were all offered to help support his labour of love. 

Kirsten wowed the audience by revealing she had not made use of any body-doubles; taking to the water and swimming as seen - in all conditions required. Her research for her debut role had led to a 15 second clip of Mercedes speaking at her wedding ~ all she had, on which to base her vocal performance, hinting at a young British woman of German heritage. 

Credits

There was a great deal of love evident at the premier. It appeared most of Worthing had turned up to show solidarity with this home-grown Independent biopic; many of whom were extras! The auditorium was packed, which brought about a false start to the film; an apology, and re-run of the first few minutes to ensure everyone was seated! 

Word is rippling out - creating waves of interest as more cinemas dive in. Elliott already made a big splash as a talented film-maker with his previous films; he is now entirely in his element. 

Come on in, the water's lovely!