South Africa in the 1960s. The sun’s shining, the water’s inviting, and Ingrid – wife, mother and poet – is boldly, recklessly swimming out into the open sea. A lively, strong-headed woman loves life and infuses everything she does with infectious passion, finding freedom and solace in writing, whenever and wherever she can. Her awareness of the injustice and inhumanity of life in her racist country is sharpened by Jack, an acknowledged yet critical author. Her literary career also begins to draw the attention of readers. Blacklisted by the authorities, Ingrid comes closer and closer to the edge of the abyss. “I wanted the audience to be as close to Ingrid as possible, to go along with the main character, even when she’s unreasonable or behaves in an extreme way. My first goal when I direct is always to make the characters real, layered and human. So the actors and I worked hard to get things as clear as possible. Then there was the poetry. Nature plays an important role in the poetry of Ingrid Jonker. The ingredients of the poems were a fantastic inspiration and guideline for the photography and images that amplify the story,” says director Paula van der Oest.