We Were Swimming was a short film I wrote, directed and produced upon graduating from LCC. Inspired by personal conversations and shared biographies that recall the strange and overwhelming world of teenage friendship, I began exploring the vital and under-represented intricacies of girlhood. I became intrigued by these universal observations that seemed gender specific. The ominous, ambiguous, erotic and aggressively pretty nature of the visuals attempts to disorient the preconceived notions of girlhood and femininity, which are further subverted by the constant use of the colour blue. We Were Swimming is a reaction to the image of girl within a social context. As the highly aestheticized visuals coincide with the bleak voice over, an oppositional effect is created; an archetype of purity and innocence with secrets, desires and darkness. We Were Swimming abandons the sweet scents of girlhood to make room for a multifaceted, obscure and essential relationship. Through the female gaze a coded language between young women is acknowledged.