PTSD is often attributed to soldiers who have witnessed the horrors of the battlefield and have come home forever changed by the experience. However, the condition is far more wide-reaching than just that, and a new short film titled Drowning looks to explore how it can unravel anyone. Written by and starring Rebecca Baker, based on personal experiences, the short psychological drama was made in partnership with the charity PTSD UK to demonstrate the constant struggle survivors endure to stay afloat amid the stresses of everyday life while being constantly weighed down by trauma. Ahead of its release, Collider can share an exclusive look at the cast who helped bring the authentic story to life.
Drowning follows young nurse Elle (Baker) as she battles her unravelling mind while fighting for her patients in a broken system. When tragedy and systemic failure collide, her grip on reality fractures, forcing her to confront her past before it consumes her. Drowning was driven by a talented core team, and further elevated by an exceptional cast. Amelia Bullmore plays Elle’s mother, Kirstie, fresh off appearing in the acclaimed British comedy-drama Riot Women and reprising her role as the Dowager Duchess of Tintagel in Season 2 of The Buccaneers. Joining them as well is A Discovery of Witches alum Sophia Myles, whom viewers will also recognize from the big screen in Transformers: Age of Extinction. She joins the pair as Dr. Sullivan, rounding out the trio of key characters at the center of the story. The rest of the acclaimed cast includes Kola Bokinni (Ted Lasso), Helene Maksoud (Silo), Tom Victor (Mary & George), Sharif Afifi (House of David), Giles Surridge (Blue Moon), and newcomer Elle Strange.
Baker has proven herself to be a multi-talented creative, appearing on-screen in the series Juice and in shorts Flying, Moishe and Hamdardi, as well as starring in multiple stage productions, including The War of the Worlds. As a writer, she comes from a theatre background, making her screenwriting debut with Drowning. She is currently developing Drowning as a feature, expanding on the world established in the short. Baker is joined by producer and co-founder of Cut + Roll Films, Alice Duke, who brings a wealth of commercial production experience and is now expanding into narrative storytelling, and Reiff Gaskell, a Cannes Lions Young Director Award winner, who is helming the film as director.
‘Drowning’ Was an Exercise in Courage for Baker
Drowning seeks to make an authentic depiction of PTSD and the twists and turns along the road to recovery. Baker was instrumental in that process, pulling from her own story and the very real feelings she wrestled with to define Elle’s journey. Her script was developed alongside Hannah Christophe, the script editor behind Netflix’s Emmy-winning smash hit Adolescence, with recent Hedda star Nicholas Pinnock attached as an executive producer and Cannes Lions Young Director Award winner Reiff Gaskell helming the film. Working alongside Cut + Roll was Silver Milk Productions, the company behind the Jason Isaacs boxing thriller Heavyweight.
In a statement about the film, Baker described how crafting the project helped her derive something positive from her personal battle and expressed her hopes that viewers would really engage with the realities of PTSD through it.
“Drowning grew out of my own journey with healing. Living with PTSD is like a constant fight to stay afloat. It seeps into everything, making safety feel unsafe, turning people – including those you love — into strangers, and can drag you into unhealthy coping strategies that feel impossible to break. Too often, its symptoms are misunderstood or met with shame, forcing survivors into even deeper isolation. Through Elle’s story, I wanted to show what the reality of living in that cycle can feel like — the endless, quiet exhaustion of it — and invite people to sit in that space for a moment, in the hope it shines a light on truths we rarely speak about. Writing this film was my way of finding light in that darkness, and I hope it helps others feel seen in their own fight to heal.”
This wasn’t just a personal project for Baker, but one that spoke to Pinnock as a fellow survivor and ambassador for mental health charity Mind. “Having dealt with my own battles with CPTSD pretty much my whole life, it was clear that I had to be a part of this project,” he added. “I identified with so much of what our protagonist is going through. Rebecca, Alice, and Reiff are a great team, and I’m very proud to be partnering with them on Drowning.”
For Duke, it was also inspiring to watch her longtime friend finally realize her vision with help from a talented, up-and-coming director in Gaskell. She told Collider:
“Having been friends with Rebecca for over a decade, I’ve witnessed firsthand the courage and determination it has taken for her to bring Drowning to life. This film is the result of a long journey we’ve shared — one marked by persistence, honesty, and a deep commitment to telling stories that matter. I’ve also had the privilege of knowing Reiff for more than six years, and I’ve always admired his distinctive visual storytelling and uncompromising directorial style. Bringing these two talents together on Drowning has been incredibly rewarding, and I am proud to champion a project that is as visceral as it is personal.”
Drowning is currently in post-production, backed by full post-production sponsorship from LipSync Post, and has not set a release date. Check out the lineup of talent featured in the short film in the gallery above, as well as producers Pinnock and Duke, along with director Gaskell, below.
