Synopsis
David is challenging the physiological and psychological limits of the human body in sub-zero temperatures below the ice. Every moment requires supreme control. A single misstep could mean the difference between life and death. David's ice story started when he was small. As a child he hated cold water.
His parents were artists and he was not. He was a shy boy and became a shy man who has problems communicating with women. He taught math and physical education in a small town. He lead his students to overcome limits, to endure discomfort. David often had to defend his unorthodox approach to those around him, and also to himself. Perhaps that's why he was looking for a way to prove that he also was capable of bearing discomfort and pain. He began systematically work on hardening himself.
In February 2021 he swam 80 meters under an ice sheet in a single breath without a protective wetsuit winning a Guinness World Record.
He felt unbreakable, but he was not. His wife suddenly left him after twenty years of marriage. He got shared custody of his six years old daughter. He decided to persevere under the ice. He announced his next attempt. This time a dive 50 meters deep. Again in one breath with no protective gear. He prepares for every possibility but overlooks one crucial thing. The water pressure is a lot higher at the elevation where this dive will take place.
When he emerged from his dive in Lake Sils in Switzerland he was bleeding heavily. The experience taught him a lot about his own limitations, and the limitations of the people helping him. But what can one see in the darkness?
The film tells the story of a man who has conquered world records in an effort to define an identity and demonstrate the possibilities of human potential. But is he affirming life or defying death?
Is this a story of human strength or vulnerability?
His parents were artists and he was not. He was a shy boy and became a shy man who has problems communicating with women. He taught math and physical education in a small town. He lead his students to overcome limits, to endure discomfort. David often had to defend his unorthodox approach to those around him, and also to himself. Perhaps that's why he was looking for a way to prove that he also was capable of bearing discomfort and pain. He began systematically work on hardening himself.
In February 2021 he swam 80 meters under an ice sheet in a single breath without a protective wetsuit winning a Guinness World Record.
He felt unbreakable, but he was not. His wife suddenly left him after twenty years of marriage. He got shared custody of his six years old daughter. He decided to persevere under the ice. He announced his next attempt. This time a dive 50 meters deep. Again in one breath with no protective gear. He prepares for every possibility but overlooks one crucial thing. The water pressure is a lot higher at the elevation where this dive will take place.
When he emerged from his dive in Lake Sils in Switzerland he was bleeding heavily. The experience taught him a lot about his own limitations, and the limitations of the people helping him. But what can one see in the darkness?
The film tells the story of a man who has conquered world records in an effort to define an identity and demonstrate the possibilities of human potential. But is he affirming life or defying death?
Is this a story of human strength or vulnerability?
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