Product Description

Casey is a longshorewoman who seems to have everything: she lives on a boat with her beautiful social worker girlfriend Alex, and they are very much in love. But there's nothing like the holidays to bring out the drama of the average family. Casey has rejected her privileged upbringing and restores old boats for a living. What she can't reject is her deep attachment to her family living just across the bay. When the Olsens come together for Christmas, the unwrapping of presents takes a back seat to the unraveling of emotions. Against the backdrop of the gorgeous New England coast, Director Lauren Himmel tells a tender story of repression and the changing notions of family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56125 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-12-03
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

independent filmmakers
I have never reviewed a movie here or anywhere else. I usually don't feel my opinion would influence anyone one way or the other; however, after reading some of the extremely negative reviews of this film I decided to put in my two cents. I am certain this film was made under the extrmely difficult constraints of time and money. That is the nature of independent filmmaking. After watching this film several times, I feel that the director, cast and crew managed to transcend those constraints rather nicely. Granted, the sound is not Hollywood perfect. Neither is the lighting or probably the editing. What is left is a REAL story about a young woman whose family life seemed almost normal, until she "came out" to them. The mother refuses to accept her daughter's lesbianism and makes her life really difficult. The father is more understanding, as well as other family members; Casey is torn betwen the loyalty she feels towards her family and the love she feel for Alex. This is a story which is very real to a lot of us. Being gay is not always fun, as some mainstream movies and TV shows would want us to believe. There is an unbelievable chemistry between the two lead characters, Casey and Alex.
When watching them together, you begin to feel that they are actually in love for real.I could go on forever about this movie but I will end my comments by saying that all films, including gay/lesbian films, do not have to be formulaic. They don't all have to have perfect sound, lighting and Merryl Streep-like acting. They don't have to cost millions of dollars to produce, and they don't all have to have "hot" sex scenes to be enjoyed. Some tender, loving kissing, hugging and cuddling can be just as effective, if not more effective, to get the message accross. Watch it with an open mind and you will enjoy it. Thank you for reading this.

The Tyranny of Family!
What a long, stange trip it's been for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered characters in American cinema. Characters with any kind of "alternate" sexual identity or orientation were all but invisible for most of the history of the movies made in the U.S. When we finally did get "representation", it was usually in the form of stereotypes and images which were unrealistic and/or demeaning. With the advent of independent cinema and cable TV, now we have more options, and filmmakers are less restrained by the shackles of the big studios to express themselves. For the first time ever, in the early '90's, we started seeing stories about people that always existed, and seeing characters who lived in real life but not on film. In "Treading Water", director Lauren Himmel exposes the drama and family dynamics that lie below the surface of (what seems like) just another Christmas day gathering for an "ordinary" middle class American family. Movie-goers always had a thing for family drama, but in "Treading Water", we get to see it from the viewpoint of Casey, a young lesbian fisherwoman. Casey (Angela Redman) and her partner Alex (Nina Landy) are a committed couple-- they live together, make love, fight, and deal with the pressures of the outside world. Casey and Alex are in love, yet Casey's overly-controlling, ice queen of a mother (Annette Miller) shows unyieding disapproval of her daughter's looks, lifestyle, and relationship, mixing equal parts guilt with borderline cruelty. The mother uses Casey as something of a scapegoat, seeming to blame her daughter's "defiance" for the family's overall discontent. The matriarch gives Casey an ultimatum: she either comes over for the Christmas holiday without Alex, or she doesn't come at all. Casey refuses to give in. In the middle of the movie, Alex reveals a secret which threatens to affect the couple's relationship, and which forces Casey to analyze her family situation with a new sense of importance. "Treading Water" realistically depicts the plight that many lesbians and gay men face when it comes to family matters: Do we remain true to ourselves, or swallow our pride to "keep the peace"? Ironically, Casey's father is willing to let his daughter be herself, and other members of Casey's family are also accepting, including a little girl who knows that Casey is gay and in unblemished childlike simplicity, doesn't know what all the fuss is about. "Treading Water" is a provocative drama, with some comedic touches by a character named Carmen, Casey and Alex's Latina spitfire of a friend. The film shows that there are no easy answers, but it forces us to realize that sticking to what we know is right is much better than trying to please everyone

Very enjoyable
I read the mixed reviews on this movie many times before actually ordering it as I was undecided since the reviews were all over the place. I decided. I ordered. I watched. The end result - it's a very, very good movie. I think what makes it work is the couples relationship. It's very real. It's very genuine. It is quite refreshing to actually see a movie where 2 woman are already involved, where they start out being gay... with no typical "I'm going back to being hetero" ending! The drama of the family situation is intense, but there is quite a bit of comic relief played by the friend Carmen. The love scenes are simple and tender. The plot is heavy. The acting is not overly executed but you find yourself being drawn to the women, their story and shared love. I'm happy I stumbled across it. If you are not a true movie critic or critic in general, you will find yourself enjoying this movie for many reasons, many times over.