SYNOPSIS

Fourteen-year-old champion swimmer Wendo is dreading the first day of practice with her swimming club after a long Christmas break. Her body has changed over the holidays. On the ride to the local gym, she endures teasing from her cheeky nine-year-old brother, Dede about these changes. At practice, things don’t get much better. Her male swimming coach offers what he calls “polite” and “helpful” advice—warning her that her recent weight gain might impact her performance. His words, though wrapped in concern, only deepen Wendo’s discomfort and self-doubt. Just as Wendo begins to retreat inward, she forms an unexpected connection with Mariam, a gym cleaner in her 40s. Mariam, a Muslim woman with a completely different outlook on bodies and beauty, is secretly teaching herself to swim long after everyone else has gone home. When Wendo finds her struggling in the water, she offers to help. What begins as an after-hours swimming lesson becomes a quiet, healing exchange: Wendo helps Mariam get comfortable in the water, and in return, Mariam teaches Wendo what it means to be at peace in her own skin.

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Director

  Lydia Matata

• Production

  Ivy Kiru

• Referent

  Lydia Matata

• Sales

  Ivy Kiru

• Script

  Lydia Matata