Damien, a 16-year old swimmer, clashes with his Coach at practice. In parallel, Damien plays with his younger brother at a hotel waterslide, but his erratic behaviour shows something hidden beneath the surface. Bleach explores the confusing moments following trauma and abuse, and how big each small step can be.
Direction
Graham cuts between timelines like trauma itself.
Acting
Whiteduck-Lavoie's eyes — panic wearing a mask.
Cinematography
Chlorine-blue pools never looked this sinister.
Director
Mattias Graham
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Graham structured the film around actual survivor testimonies about delayed disclosure — the 'wait, what did I just see?' editing mirrors how trauma surfaces in fragments.
The hotel pool was shot at a real family resort during operating hours; Whiteduck-Lavoie had to perform the waterslide scenes surrounded by unaware vacationers, adding genuine dissociation to his performance.
CA
