Adventure 54: Kiss the Water

A couple of weeks ago I caught Utah Film Center's screening of the documentary "Kiss the Water" at the city library. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It was beautiful. 

But, first of all, let us admire the beauty of dusk at Library Square that welcomed me this fine evening.

 Quite lovely.

This film, by New York filmaker, Eric Steel takes a look at the influence, and work of the late Megan Boyd, master of the salmon fly fisherman's fly. Her story is fascinating, and has a mythical element. 

The stand out memory for me was, the way Steel told the story. It was poetic, and very moving. Long shots of the Scottish countryside where Megan spent her life, and oil painted animated sequences sucked me in, and filled me with emotion. It was all quite compelling.

When Steel Skyped in after the screening to answer questions, I was still swept up in the emotion of the film, and didn't have the clarity of mind to make my way down to the mic. 

He talked about how his approach to this film was his fascination with this woman, and the legend that surrounded her. He spent hours sometimes in interviews with the elders of her village, patiently talking to them about anything else but Megan before getting the sound bites he could use for the film.

This sort of fed into my romanticized idea of the Scottish country side being of a slower pace, and having to work at making real connections with the real people there. I love the the importance of sitting with someone for some time before earning the treasures their brain contains.

This idea was echoed in the story told in the film of one of her students, who sought her out to learn her trade. He had to learn to be patient, and learn one aspect of the process, like spinning wire with one hook, for hours and hours.

The audience seemed to be filled with fly fishing enthusiasts. The man in front of me spoke to me sometime of what the sport meant to him.

Something I learned through this experience, both from the film and the audience, was that for the avid fly fisherman, it's rarely about catching the fish. It's mostly about the calm that comes over their mind, and the connection that happens with their body and the river that seems to bring them back again and again.

Time spent on adventure: 2 hours
Money spent: $0
Recommendation: 8 out of 10 adventure points!