Wa(te)r

Directed by Lena Holub

essay

What is a film if not a therapeutic act? Wa(te)r is a poetiс reflection on my 2022–2023 diary entries, poured from one medium to another. I uncovered countless water metaphors intertwined with life and death throughout these entries. I often revisit recurring dreams—one of floods, the other of war—that have haunted me since childhood. Water flows, and everything changes. It ties me to the very beginning, with my mother's hands bathing me, and to the very end, with suicidal despair. All I strive to express emerges from the water, my words engulfing themselves. In these times, water is the most precious resource, reliable conduit to memories, and promise of oblivion. Dedicated to my dear mother and her protective touch.