Written by Zoe Crombie

There’s something irresistible about sports biopics, even if you’ve never kept up with a sport in your life (ahem). Fundamentally, it’s not about the rules of the game or being able to recognise the most players – it all hinges on watching someone rise up and attempt overcome the odds against them in true style. This setup also allows for a surprising amount of diversity, with Raging Bull on one end of the tonal spectrum and Cool Runnings on the other.

Vindication Swim falls somewhere in the middle of this scale in depicting the trials and tribulations of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel. Set in the 1920s, just a handful of years after women were granted suffrage, there’s certainly plenty to overcome, from the misogynist attitudes of British society to the brutal challenge of the Channel itself – not to mention an emerging rival who claims to have beaten her record. Written and directed by 24-year-old Elliott Hasler, who began his filmmaking career at 14, and starring confident newcomer Kirsten Callaghan in her feature film debut, this is a masterfully shot film straight from a new generation of British talent.

Vindication Swim is a sincere, powerful biopic about beating the odds that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser – you might want to keep an eye on Hasler and Callaghan’s future projects.

Vindication Swim is oon from 19th - 21st April

Showtimes & Tickets: https://dukeslancaster.org/wha...