Wild Water (PG)

A fascinating plunge into the cold water swimming community.

What drives somebody to swim in a freezing reservoir, and what do they find on the other side? Spanning 16 months, Wild Water tracks the landscape and the people as they use the restorative powers of cold water to reconnect with their mental health, identity, nature and each other.

Gaddings Dam, situated on the West Yorkshire moors, offers a picturesque setting as England's highest beach. Despite harsh conditions like rain and ice, dedicated year-round swimmers frequent the dam, often opting out of wetsuits and donning woolly hats, gloves, and boots for warmth. Built in the 1830s as a mill pond, the dam faced closure until locals intervened about 20 years ago. Clive, a seasoned swimmer in his late 60s, logs hundreds of dips annually. Other swimmers, like the Saturday Morning Crew and the January Daily Dippers, share various motivations, from fitness and charity to mental health benefits.

Here, filmmakers Ben Davis and Pete Jenkinson bring homespun charm, capturing the life stories of this resilient group of swimmers through the changing seasons. It’s an insightful journey and a peak into the community surrounding one of England’s hidden gems