Treading Water

Danny (Joe Gill) is released from jail having revealed his innermost thoughts to the viewer through his internal narrative. This comes and goes through the film as well as his violent tendencies.

Back in society Danny injects heroin into his groin (so the marks don’t show) and travels to the halfway house where he’s introduced to the other residents and read the rules by Karen (Jo Dakin). Clearly stressed his inner demons manifest and disappear as quickly.

Danny’s OCD, which he chooses to control through hard drugs (banned in the halfway house) against the advice of the more sympathetic caseworker Janet (Elianne Byrne). A visit home to see his mother, stepfather and sister is a disaster and he finds himself walking the streets where he bumps in sex-worker Laura (Becky Bowe), an old school friend.

The chance and later paid encounter leads to Danny becoming obsessed with Laura. Initially with little regard to her relationship with the manipulative pimp Warren (Darren Conolly) and her daughter Sarah (Tahlia Cherry).

A bleak story by writer and director Gino Evans, Treading Water covers many familiar issues and like many others, provides no real answers. What it does is provide is some insight into the complicated areas of crime, addiction and mental health.

While there are services for Danny to use, he’s on smack to control his OCD and his violent thoughts. The latter are explosive and jar the viewer with their ferocity, also leaving them wondering if that’s what they will remain.

The players are sublime with relative newcomer and Manchester born Gill exceptional. He’s by turns sympathetic and frustrating; he knows what he does is more than likely going to get him into trouble yet has no doubts about doing it.

The black humour when Laura and Danny are together as they reminisce about school serves to strangely lighten matters, a bit.

What also sets the film apart from others of this ilk is that it there are moments of thriller type tension. Will Danny keep a lid on his impulses and there are few revelations towards the end complicating matters further for him and Laura.

At times there’s a documentary look and feel about the direction and occasionally it feels padded, with some sequences dragging the story. However these don’t necessarily do the film a lot of harm and its an impressive and thoughtful debut from Gino Evans.

Treading Water is in select cinemas from 25 April 2025.