Chasing the Sublime is a mesmeric look at why adventurers adventure, and swimmers swim. Shot in Loch Hourn, Scotland, in 2018, the film documents the swimming adventures of Kate Rew and Kari Furre of The Outdoor Swimming Society.
Why do we put ourselves into the path of discomfort and risk? What drives us to get too cold and too tired, to battle with fear, in the name of adventure?
Loch Hourn on the Knoydart peninsula in the Western Isles of Scotland is regarded as one of the last wildernesses of Europe. Access to sea lochs is difficult. Salt water mingles with fresh water as it runs off the mountains, icy even in high summer. This mesmeric film immerses us in the physicality of cold water swimming, asking why does the search for adventure take us to ever more remote and inhospitable places? Why are the hardships of swimming so inextricably linked with it’s highs and appeal? Join the originators of The Outdoor Swimming Society, ‘swim twins’ Kate Rew and Kari Furre, as they set out to chase the sublime.
“Among all the great feedback for this short film, the pinnacle moment for me was our literal 6 minutes of fame on Sunday 2nd March, when Chasing The Sublime was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday,” says OSS Founder Kate Rew who wrote the narratives and swims in the film. ‘The film was chosen for Oprah’s ‘inspirational women’ slot and aired to 8 million viewers. Does it get much more validating than that? Go forth, little film, and create more swimmers…..”.