Content warning: This article contains discussions on eating disorders.
Body of Water, the first time feature and directorial debut of Lucy Brydon, is a quiet, sombre gem in this year’s Glasgow Film Festival lineup. The film focuses around Stephanie (Sian Brooke), her struggles with anorexia after leaving an inpatient eating disorder clinic, and how she attempts to balance her relationships with her mother Susan (Amanda Burton) and teen daughter Pearl (Fabienne Piolini-Castle). A tough watch at times, Body of Water is a frank and unflinching depiction of what it is to struggle with an eating disorder, and how it impacts the lives of those closest to you as well as your own.
Director Brydon hails from Edinburgh, and so premiering the film in Scotland was an extra special experience for her. “It was really lovely, I mean it’s such a welcoming festival”, she says, speaking to Flip Screen via phone just a few days after the screenings. “It feels like a nice start for the film, so I can’t really ask for more.”
