Pacing the Pool

 Solitude repeats itself, in Richard’s childhood hurt, now it heals. Where once were the feeling of loneliness now is the feeling of ultimate intimacy. In the pool, he finds the strength to simply be. More through his pain. He is one with the water.

A great wind isolates the same species, water reunites them. Parts of him were brought together to accept them as a whole, his pool family, the friends that he meets every day. A reunion with others and himself.  

Richard’s disability was only a starting point, it gave him fuel to search for something more and opened up new opportunities. As he sees it, a life of adventures. That is what water means to Richard: more than a source of healing, the medium to the essence.

The director Radheya Jegatheva opens the window for us to take a look at Richard Pace's story. Both align to step away from consistency and show his particular challenges and the way he explored them and learned from it. A particular story, hard, but part of a group of other stories.

The slow-motion shots and close-ups amplify the immersive experience and the intimate relationship Richard has with water and this pool, from this film, emerges a sincere experience. It is not a message of imperious positivity, the anguish is still there and shown and most of the time passed across. It wasn't immediate at all. Richard has its own pace now, but it wasn't given, it was found.

Catch and release

Brock Aloysius Chopra’s testimony. A recall of his personal history, as if he were around a fire, telling the story of his childhood, his family line, the women that made a mark on him, like dots waiting for something to connect.

As the story develops and the people and events are closer to the present, Brock starts to slowly loosen himself and become moved by what he is telling, the music intensifies and the intrigue goes up. Everyone taught him something and every event opened some doors and he is opening his soul to tell us his nightmares and insights. 

One-shot in one take. The experimental directorial debut of Jay Jay Jegathesan that begins as an interview develops as a trip, and finishes with a surprise is a monologue acted by himself. A recognized journeyman stage and voice actor performs here as a man of mystery, waiting to set something free.

What is he really catching and releasing? The viewer catches these questions also.  His flashbacks, memories, and dreams are catalyzers. We are invited to submerge into his journey and maybe begin one ourselves. Even though it may scare us, the way the character storytelling evolves and the echoes it produces is an invitation to follow. 

Carla Chasco is an art critique specialized in film, from Buenos Aires Argentina, currently studying curatorial studies degree at UNA. She has previously worked as a costume designer but nowadays is advocated to the other side of film.