Synopsis

Two men wander the streets of a deserted city. Neither has any memory of how they came to be there. 

In a busy city a woman grieves. 

As a series of strange events and suppressed memories manifest, the two worlds begin to collide. 

Making Undertow

Undertow is the story of two lovers who are violently separated by a tragic event. The event itself is never made explicitly clear, and the film focuses on the aftermath and effect it has on the two characters.

 

In one strand of the story we follow a man as he wanders the streets of an abstract and emptied out city, isolated and alone.

 

In the other strand, a woman goes about her daily grind, contrasted with quiet moments of reflection as she grieves. Her world becomes increasingly claustrophobic as the busy city forces her into isolation.

 

Undertow is a film that defies easy interpretation. The dreamlike structure of the film focuses the atmosphere at the centre of the experience. The city becomes a colossal, empty and foreboding urban space, a metaphor for the emotional confusion and isolation that both characters endure. This is contrasted with quiet moments of intimate grief, and the painful realisation of healing through time as we experience the conscious and unconscious struggle of coming to terms with loss.

 

Undertow has been nominated for 5 awards in both the US and UK, gaining international critical acclaim since its debut onto the festival circuit.

 

At The Cannes Film Festival last year we received an unprecedented piece of exposure from arguably the UK’s most renowned film critic, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian Newspaper. Bradshaw singled Undertow out from over 2,000 films for critical praise, making Undertow the only film in the Cannes Short Film Corner that received major media coverage by The Guardian newspaper.

Undertow posed something of a logistical challenge to produce on a low budget. The illusion of a deserted city shot in central London locations required a lengthy and demanding production process. To maximise efficiency the film was carefully designed with a small crew and merely a handful of actors, allowing us to approach the shoot using somewhat guerrilla tactics.

Undertow Credits
A Film by
Neil Mcenery-West