Like the water we swim in, The Water Holds Me/The Water Binds Us animates, holds and binds together our experiences of wild swimming. Based on the stories of women who dip, dive and swim in rivers, lakes and seas, it evokes many different experiences in one swim, from the anticipation of getting in cold water to the feeling of floating alone and the conviviality of bobbing together. The film celebrates the power of water to wash away pain and fear and restore and revive our relationships with the natural world and each other.
The Water Holds Me/The Water Binds Us is a collaboration between Charlotte Bates and Kate Moles, sociologists and swimmers based at Cardiff University, and illustrator, animator and swimmer Lily Mae Kroese, with sound by Jennifer Walton.