Rip Tide (film)

Cora Hamilton becomes overwhelmed with the constraints of her New York modelling work, while her mother, Sofia works to secure her with a lucrative contract with a popular agency. Cora tries to provide her own ideas on improving one of the outfits that she is modelling, but is rejected by the director of the photoshoot. While running out of the photoshoot in an emotional state, a video is filmed of Cora falling down stairs, which goes viral.

Cora travels to a beach town in Australia to stay with her Aunt Margot to escape the attention that the video has created. She is welcomed in by the laid back community, and soon strikes up a friendship with the bubbly Chicka. With Chicka's encouragement, Cora learns to surf. A romantic relationship soon follows with local surfing instructor, Tom.

Cora is encouraged by Margot, Margot's mother-in-law Bee, and Chicka to help at an upcoming festival. She is given a sewing machine and encouraged to design her own collection based on post war swimwear. The longer she stays with Margot, Cora realizes that her aunt has unresolved grief over the drowning of her husband, Caleb.

Sofia has negotiated a lucrative deal for Cora to be the face of a new season campaign for a New York fashion house. Cora is faced with the dilemma of having to decide whether she will stay, or return to her fast-paced New York career. Cora chooses to miss her flight when the prop plane refuses to carry her beloved sewing machine. She returns to rescue her aunt who had gone surfing during the approaching storm. The local festival is headlined by the Cora's designed fashion show, at which her mother shows up unannounced and makes her peace with her daughter and sister.

• Debby Ryan as Cora Hamilton
• Genevieve Hegney as Margot
• Andrew Creer as Tom
• Naomi Sequeira as Chicka
• Valerie Bader as Bee
• Aaron Jeffery as Owen
• Jeremy Lindsay Taylor as Caleb
• Danielle Carter as Sofia
• Kimie Tsukakoshi as Lily
• Marcus Graham as Farriet

Production began on the feature in late 2016.[3] The film was shot in Illawarra and the Southern Highlands, on the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia.[4][5] The film was financed by Screen Australia.[6]

Debby Ryan was cast as the central character Cora, after previously starring on the Disney Channel series Jessie (2011–15).[5] Ryan stated that she enjoyed the "freedom" of working in Australia, and noted the similarities between herself and her character in "finding herself".[5]

Rip Tide debuted at the Sydney Film Festival on 10 June 2017, and also played at the Cinefest Oz film festival in Western Australia.[4][6]

The film was released in selected Australian cinemas in September 2017.[4][5]

Rip Tide was released internationally on Netflix in January 2018.[1]

• Rip Tide at IMDb
• Rip Tide at Rotten Tomatoes