Against the Current is the story of Paul Thompson, (Joseph Fiennes), a man who sets out to swim the entire length of the Hudson River -- all 150 miles, from Troy, NY to
Manhattan. Joining Paul is his best friend since childhood, Jeff (Justin Kirk) and Liz
(Elizabeth Reaser), a teacher with nothing better to do during her summer break.
Together, the trio embarks upon an unusual road trip, a three-week adventure down the
Hudson.

Adamant that they reach New York City by August 28, Paul keeps everyone on a tight
schedule. Rain or shine, he swims, while his friends ride alongside in a boat, stopping
each night to camp along the river’s edge. However, the journey soon takes a troubling
turn when Paul reveals that there is more to this adventure than Jeff and Liz originally
thought. Paul, who is still grieving a tragic loss, feels that after he completes this swim he will truly have nothing left to live for.

Realizing that the only way to help Paul is to continue with the swim, Jeff and Liz agree to stay on. And so with each passing stroke, a gallows humor settles over the three as they find themselves debating the finer points of jelly donuts, sex, and death. As the jokes and one-liners mix with deeper exchanges, the journey down river becomes a battle not only to save a friend, but to also discover what it is they ultimately seek inside themselves.

Both tragic and funny, Against The Current is a compelling and uncompromising
exploration of sorrow and loss, one's right to determine one’s own fate, and the limits
and responsibilities of friendship.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Peter Callahan was born and raised in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. A high school
dropout, he drove a taxi for several years before returning to school, eventually earning a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Moving to Los Angeles, Callahan optioned several screenplays to Hollywood studios
before returning to his hometown to write and direct the independent feature Last Ball in 2001. The film had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival and its
international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where it was the sole U.S. film selected to compete in their prestigious New Director's competition. Last Ball went on to screen at festivals in over 20 countries around the world and win several awards.

PRODUCTION NOTES:
The production incorporated four boats to facilitate the complicated nature of shooting
on water. A picture boat and three support boats were used to capture the action of
PAUL (Joseph Fiennes) swimming down the river with JEFF (Justin Kirk) and LIZ
(Elizabeth Reaser) following behind. In addition to the support boats, a crew of divers was on hand to maintain safety and coordinate the filming. As with any water shoot, filming was at times extremely challenging with tides, currents, and wind being major factors. Foul weather and tanker traffic added to the difficulties, but also provided for dramatic backdrops to the action unfolding on screen.

Joseph Fiennes did all of his own swimming and would often spend hours at a time in the river. Although Joseph was comfortable in the water, he trained off Coney Island to get used to the strong currents. In fact, swimming in parts of the Hudson River only recently became safe. For decades, companies dumping chemicals such as PCB’s and other waste into the water had polluted the river. Two GE facilities alone contaminated over 200 miles of the river, creating one of the nation’s largest superfund sites. Thankfully, organizations such as The Riverkeeper, Hudson Scenic Trust and The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, have done a commendable job of working with officials to clean the river, dramatically decreasing pollution levels to historic lows. It is said that the Green Movement was actually born on the Hudson in 1965, after local activists sued a major power utility in a landmark decision that paved the way for environmental activism across the country.

Filming began at the Federal Lock in Troy N.Y., and followed the script to the Port of
Albany, a major center for tanker traffic on the Hudson. The company then traveled
down-river to the historic Hudson Highlands, a section noted for its dramatic views and
beautiful topography. It is this area that inspired many of the famous landscape painters
of the Hudson River School, whose aesthetic was influenced by a romanticism of nature. After spending two weeks filming in the Highlands, the production moved further south to the New York Harbor. Filming in the Lower Bay is especially treacherous as its shipping lanes serve some of the largest and busiest ports in the world. Immense supertankers and gusting offshore winds churn the bay, creating huge swells and strong currents. Despite the dangers, Joseph swam through the waves to finally reach the end of his journey, the Verrazano Bridge. The second largest suspension bridge in the world, the Verrazano signifies the end of the Hudson and the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. It is here, on the shores of Staten Island, where the final scene of Against the Current was filmed and our story ends.

The crew sets up for a shot on the Hudson River.
Click for hi-res photo

Click for hi-res photo