One of Australia's first commercially released lesbian feature film moves from Festival release to DVD and digital release (release date 1 March 2014).
After
making a splash on the international film festival circuit, Australian film SUBMERGE
is finally set for its general release, joining Emma-Kate Croghan’s
1996 Love and Other Catastrophes as
only the second Australian lesbian feature film to attain commercial release.
The film has already drawn praise around the globe, having screened at 27 film
festivals in 18 countries across four continents, with lead actress Lily Hall securing awards from both FilmOut San Diego and Downtown Film Festival L.A. for Best Actress in a Feature Film.
The
feature film debut of both producer Kat
Holmes and director Sophie O’Connor
(MIFF 2008 Award Winner), SUBMERGE
is grounded in the story of protagonist Jordan (Lily Hall, Neighbours), a 20 year old honours student and elite
swimmer. Jordan is caught up in building her own success story, carefully negotiating
the rigors of study and the expectations of her ambitious mother (Kath Gordon The Playbook, Prisoner);
all while maintaining an active social life, flanked by her best friend
Lucas (Kevin Dee Underbelly, Strange Bedfellows).
SUBMERGE
delivers an unflinching exploration of the desire for instant gratification in
a consumerist world full of choice. When Jordan finds herself falling for her
tutor Angie (Christina Hallett Burlesque) – who just so happens to be the partner of her history
lecturer, Cameron (Andrew Curry Conspiracy 365, The Cup) – she is unable to stop herself from pursuing a
liaison. A narrative of experimentation and the search for the self, the story
follows the dizzying highs and heart-wrenching lows as Jordan attempts to
reconcile the chaos of youth with her ambition to succeed. As the attraction
between her and Angie becomes ever more intense, failure is not an option, but
how far is Jordan willing to go to get what she wants?
SUBMERGE’s
soundtrack is naturally as diverse and
evocative in tone and emotion as the film. Each track painstakingly handpicked
by director Sophie O’Connor and
music supervisor Andrew Penhallow, the
soundtrack boasts a spectrum of some of Australia’s best and brightest
independent musicians (Falling Joys,
Asian Envy, Tokyo Denmark Sweden), a fitting underscoring of the many moods
and tones of the film. SUBMERGE has also been drawing
attention for its depiction of alternative representations of sexuality in a
positive light, blurring the rigidity of labels and stereotypes and distilling
this into something realistic and raw, offering a wide-eyed depiction of the
fluidity and unpredictability of human sexuality. It’s a bold, challenging
representation that strives to challenge perceptions and dominant stereotypes –
SUBMERGE
pulls no punches about pushing boundaries.
“[SUBMERGE
is] a postmodern story, told through different lenses, reflections and refractions.
Self-awareness and self-judgment is a key theme - the modern human condition -
as is the exploration of what it takes to break through the surface and SUBMERGE
into emotional depth.”
Planet London
Planet London
Read the full Planet London review: http://planetlondononfilm.blogspot.com/2013/03/llgff-submerge.html
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