Film review: Hydrotherapy

1 min read

Hydrotherapy is a beautiful short film that captures Laura Owen Sanderson winter swimming in Snowdonia to ease the symptoms of Fibromyalgia – a long-term condition that causes pain throughout the body.

The image shows a person submerged in water up to their forehead, with only their face visible above the surface. The person is wearing a knitted mustard yellow beanie, and the backdrop features a gloomy, mountainous landscape, likely in a cold, natural setting. The person's eyes are prominently visible, and they have a pensive or calm expression. The word "HYDROTHERAPY" is overlaid on the image in bold white text, suggesting the theme or context of the image is related to therapeutic activities involving water. — CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW FILM

Hydrotherapy succeeds in allowing you into this world – where the cold, nature and water connect with such force that the feeling is quite overwhelming and we are left almost numb and with a real sense of why coldwater swimming outdoors is the perfect remedy for Laura.

Laura sums it up: “Swimming when surrounded by snow capped mountains makes you feel like part of the landscape. Once you have a frog's eye view the wildlife continues with its daily business and you become part of the natural environment, not a spectator.”

Swimming-caps off to Friction Collective who have once again demonstrated their ability to connect very human issues with very natural environments with such poignancy. Question: How long do you make someone swim in freezing temperatures to make a six minute film? Answer: Five days...

You can see the film by clicking the photo – we recommend you watch with a flask of hot coffee!

And here’s a few of the lovely swim spots featured in the film for you to try out!