Look North p14-15

NORTH LOOK

Dive: Rituals in Water

Iceland | 76m | Documentary | Subtitled | Dirs: Hanna Björk Valsdottir, Elin Hansdottir & Anna Run Tryggvadottir | Featuring: Snorri Magnusson

Three female directors explore the sensory world of newborns in this delightful depiction of an unconventional infant swim class.

For the past 25 years, swim instructor Snorri Magnusson has pushed the boundaries of what we believe tiny humans are capable of. His sundrenched circular pool in the snowy Icelandic mountains is a unique sanctuary, creating precious space for parents and their infants. Snorri’s gentle sense of play inspires fascination and delight, and the babies throw themselves into the crystalline water with abandon or balance aloft on his hands, squealing with glee. He works with the infants and their parents, using rhythmic vocalisations to encourage them to swim together. A trained teacher, Snorri astounds developmental psychologists with his ability to understand the early childhood psyche – “one, two, three, dive!”. The film’s gentle vibrational soundscape and lush underwater cinematography make it a meditative must-see.

This is the festival director’s choice for Screenplay 2021. Kathy says “If you don’t come out of this film grinning, there is the splinter of an icicle where your heart ought to be.”

Sat 15.15 £10 / £7.50 / £5.50 (-16) Sun 19.00 £10 / £7.50 / £5.50 (-16)