In a church-run town, a young woman experiments with new desires and role-play as she prepares for a Purity Ball. Gabrielle Carrubba directs “Down by the Water,” a small-town drama observing early explorations of queerness through the intimacies of female friendship. We first meet Susannah as she swims in a lake with Dallas, a local outsider. After a number of discreet outings and a developing intimacy between the two, Susannah decides to introduce Dallas to her “sisters.” At a bonfire one evening, they share some of their guarded interests about sex and sexuality, prompting more interest in pushing certain boundaries. Using a cultish evangelical setting, Carrubba (script by Chloe Xtina) operates with honesty and affection and gets compelling performances from her young cast, notably Delilah Napier and Sara Silva. -Jinho Myung. Director, Editor: Gabrielle Carrubba. Writer: Chloe Xtina. Dallas: Sara Silva. Susannah: Delilah Napier. Director of Photography: Scott Sweitzer. Producers: Valentine Salomone, Greta Villani. Sound: Jacob Schmid. Composer: Magic Candy.

The First Taste (dir: Chloe Xtina): https://www.nobudge.com/videos/the-first-taste