British saddle and bicycle accessory makers Brooks England have collaborated with NOWNESS to create an exhilarating, three-part series profiling the different ways cycling can elevate our daily lives. From mini adventures to grand endeavors, each episode recontextualizes our centuries-long relationship with bikes; they can be seen as a passport to freedom, the line that connects a city’s dots, and a treasured aid on journeys of self-discovery.

Danish writer and director Sandra Winther shares her vision of ‘boundless journeys’ in a narrative short that blends nature with emotion. Staggered across Denmark and Sweden, The Ties That Bind chronicles the story of a father who must find a way to reunite with his family before the countries’ borders close.

“The film explores what it means to hold on to what you love,” says Winther. “While the distance between the film’s characters is ever-increasing, there’s a love and bond between them that never goes away. Acknowledging what the other needs to feel whole is how they’ll be able to find each other again. This is what the protagonist, William, sets out to do.”

Winther’s film hints at our current age of social distancing and decreased public transportation, making the challenges faced by this Scandinavian family one that has been shared by many across the globe in recent months. “It’s a modern love story that centers on some of the feelings many are going through at this very moment; separation, isolation and a longing for connection,” says the director.

Not only has the bike become a lifeline for those looking to bridge the physical gap between friends and family, but it has also become the only way to answer the call of the wild. “As William cycles from Denmark to Sweden, something in him changes,” says Winther, who juxtaposes the beige, empty interior of the father’s apartment with the verdant woodlands his daughter and wife explore. “There’s a warmth that we didn’t see before, an excitement about what lies ahead. Ultimately, the trip brings him and his family closer.”

The Ties That Bind is a paean to cycling and creates the perfect context for a new world of exploration emerging just outside our doors. Adept at creating emotional harmony throughout her visual projects, Winther’s film expertly distills the unparalleled freedom-giving feeling of cycling and anticipates the many journeys into the wild that await us.