Riptide

I wrote and directed “Riptide” because there was a story around gaslighting that I had experienced but never seen before on the big screen; the experience of being gas-lit by someone who was also gaslighting themselves. The palpable sense of guilt you feel when you’re being told your own memories are false by someone you care about and who has power over you is a terrible experience. It is only compounded by the realisation that when you finally cut through those lies, there is a final lie that this person is gaslighting themselves with. A lie that, rather than choosing you and facing their mistakes, they have chosen to believe.

Whilst the subject matter and tone of the film is quite dark, making this film couldn’t have been more different. Despite shooting in the middle of Melbourne winter, our incredible cast and crew bravely weathered the freezing waters of Gunnamatta beach to do fight scenes, death scenes, and many long and repeated takes - all with smiles and good humour. We all looked after each other, and got some incredible performances that we couldn’t have achieved without everyone on set pulling together day in and day out.

My hope is that this film can take audiences on a journey through some dark and treacherous waters, before bringing them back ashore with space left to interpret the characters' differing realities through their own life experiences and, hopefully, smell the gas.