Undertow – The Film
by Director, Peter Spann
Undertow is a deeply personal project for me as it is based on the real-life story of a best friend who feel in love with the wrong boy at the wrong time ending in tragedy.
Byron Bay is a paradise – stunning beaches, fabulous weather, great restaurants, a surf and hippy culture that leads to a laid back, casual lifestyle.
But, it has a dark underbelly.
Her drug addictions tore her apart but the real story was her addiction to a boy called Jonny.
No matter how bad, how dark, how soul destroying it was for her she came back for more, over and over again.
Anyone familiar with Byron will recognise The Lighthouse, The Pass, Tallows, The Balcony, the drive to Federal, and other landmarks of the district.
I wanted the film to be as beautiful as the town. Shimmering in all its glory.
This is the juxtaposition. In one way, so glorious and in another so destructive. Nature is always in balance. Anything this beautiful has to have an ugly side.
Of course, Bella means “beautiful” and she is the embodiment of everything that is wonderful about Byron but seething underneath is an undertow of addiction that threatens to drag her under.
We meet Bella on her first day out of rehab and it’s not long before her sobriety is put in jeopardy.
All she has to do is make it through a day and she’ll be fine, but it’s not going to be easy.
Jonny to me is more than a spirit, a person. He is a metaphor for her addictions. Bella knows Jonny is bad for her, but his tendrils reach out and his pull is strong. How can she resist? It’s as easy to remember the highs as it is to remember the come downs.
Relationships between girls can be complicated and it took the deft touch of Screenwriter Laura Bloom to bring them to life. It was important to me that the film, while stylised, was also authentic.
Relationships, angst about the future, love, betrayal, and trying to make sense of your place in the world all play out in one 24 hour period.
