Rustslag

The communication gap between an autistic person and a non-autistic person is large in our society. Water can be a mediator that narrows this gap. Swimming brings Hajnalka and me closer together, a place and sport that challenges us. Achieving these challenges gives her peace and self-assurance. 

Rustslag is a short, wordless documentary about reunion, courage, and the quiet power of water.

After nearly eight years apart, I reconnect with one of my former swimmers, a young woman I once coached as a child. When she earned her swimming diploma years ago, we had to say a difficult goodbye. Her autism made it necessary for her to move to a new care facility, and contact was lost. Yet for her, swimming had always been more than a sport. It was a moment of peace, confidence, teamwork, and equality.

Now, years later, we meet again. Together we return to the water, a place that once brought her comfort but has since become a source of fear. In this gentle and intimate film, we witness her journey from anxiety to rediscovery, as she faces her fears and learns to trust the water again. Even the pool’s black lines on the floor, which she believes are trying to catch her, become part of her personal challenge to overcome.

Rustslag is a quiet exploration of resilience and connection, a story about finding calm after turbulence, and the enduring bond between a swimmer and the water that once set her free.