Adelaide Film Festival Interview: Director Ian Darling on the Pool

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Documentary filmmaker Ian Darling’s filmography includes many films exploring the structure of Australian society. WITH Paul Kelly – Stories about meDarling immersed audiences in the poetry of one of Australia’s greatest lyricists. IN Last quarterThe harsh and brutal racism suffered by football legend Adam Goodes is explored through media coverage of the event. Then, working as a producer on a film like DepartmentDarling shines a light on the people who keep NSW’s child protection system running.

Each of these stories paints a picture of the kind of Australia we live in – a complex and multi-faceted community stretching from Western Australia to the shores of Bondi Beach in New South Wales. It’s off the shores of Bondi that Darling is attracting audiences with her latest film. Poola mood-based documentary that charts a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs Club, a diverse group of people who call the stunning seaside pool home.

Pool manifests itself in various styles of documentary filmmaking. At the same time, this is a nature documentary in which Ben Cunningham’s camera captures all the shades of blue and purple that the sea, its sunrises and shadows of sunsets offer, and at other times he leans towards a talking heads style documentary in which each of the swimmers, lifeguards and coaches share personal stories about what the pool means to them. Darling matches the tone of the pool with a variety of iconic songs that are expertly paired with Paul Charlier’s music.

What emerges from the salty waters of Bondi is a tone poem that captures the feeling and mood of being immersed in the water column and at one with oneself and the world, free from thoughts and worries. Simply put, it’s a unique experience that wouldn’t be out of place in a pool documentary.

In the middle of watching PoolI couldn’t help but remember Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s point that falling asleep during one of his films was an honor. Until I fell asleep during Poolthe experience Darling created is so relaxing that I couldn’t help but want to drift off to sleep, listening to the sounds of his film playing in my head, wondering where the stories I hear would take me.

This is the question I would like to ask Ian when I interviewed him before the films were shown in the cinema. Adelaide Film Festivaland national release for Pool November 7. Instead, our discussion moved into talking about what swimming meant to him, how he worked with a different color palette for the film, and his take on the truly Australian nature of the story. ‘Swimming Pool’ is a film that, if you give yourself over to it, is sure to transport you to another place and is a visual treat on the big screen.

Pool screens in Adelaide Film Festival on Sunday 27 October, which will be attended by Ian Darling, and on Sunday 3 November. Tickets available via Adelaide Film Festival website here. For those who cannot attend, Pool will be released nationally on November 7th.