''Swimming'' is a 2000

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by Robert J. Siegel and starring

Lauren Ambrose Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Lauren Ambrose, is an American actress and singer. She performs in television, film, and on Broadway. Ambrose had television roles as Claire Fisher in ''Six Feet Under'' ( ...

Jennifer Dundas Jennifer Dundas, credited as Jennie Dundas in her early work, is an American actress best known for her role as Chris Paradis, Annie Paradis (Diane Keaton)'s lesbian daughter, in ''The First Wives Club''. Biography Dundas was born in Boston a ...

, and

Joelle Carter Joelle Marie Carter (born October 10, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series '' Justified''. Early life Carter was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Her father, Jimmy,South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...

. The film premiered at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

in January 2000 and went on to play a variety of film festivals, including the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...

and the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

. At Outfest Los Angeles, Ambrose won the award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film.

Plot

On Myrtle Beach, Frankie works at her family's burger stand run by her older brother Neil. During her off hours, she hangs out with her best friend Nicola, who runs a nearby piercing stand. The dynamic between the girls shifts when her brother hires a new girl named Josee to work at the restaurant. Though Josee is thought to be dating the local lifeguard, she expresses interest in Frankie. Frankie also meets a quirky drifter, Heath, while Nicola gets to know Kalani, a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

from Hawaii. As Frankie starts to spend more time with Josee, Nicola tells Frankie the upsetting news that Josee is cheating with Neil, who is married and has a young family.

Cast

Production

Lauren Ambrose was cast well before the HBO series '' Six Feet Under'' took off in critical acclaim. Director Robert J. Siegel said, "The best part about making this movie was that we were under no obligation whatsoever to anyone. This movie is what I call fiercely independent. It's got a very European feel to it -

Eric Rohmer The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

was one of my muses when making it." Principal photography took place over 28 days from October to November 1998.

Release

The film debuted at the 2000

. In November 2000, the film secured a distribution deal and was given a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

on April 5, 2002.

Critical reception

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' praised the film, writing Ambrose is "an actress whose face projects that woman's doubts and yearning." He added, "''Swimming'' could unfold as a sitcom, or as a desperately sincere drama, but director Robert J. Siegel and his co-writers, Liza Bazadona and Grace Woodard, go for something more delicate and subtle. They use Ambrose's ability to watch and think and not commit, and they allow the summer's choices and possibilities to unfold within her as if her sexuality is awakening for the first time." Ed Gonzales of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' wrote the film "is that rare coming-of-age tale that doesn’t scream ''Afterschool Special''." On review aggregate website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Swimming'' has a 74% approval rating based on 39 reviews. The critics consensus reads, "A refreshingly low-key coming-of-age story."

Accolades

* Outfest Los Angeles ** Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film - Lauren Ambrose (winner) *

Woodstock Film Festival The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto with the goal to bring high quality independent film to the Hudson Valley region. The festival takes place each fa ...

** Robert J. Siegel (winner)

References

External links

* * *{{IMDb title, id=0202711, title=Swimming 2000 films Bisexuality-related films American coming-of-age films 2000 drama films American drama films LGBT-related drama films 2000 LGBT-related films 2000s coming-of-age drama films American coming-of-age drama films 2000s American films Films shot in South Carolina Films set in South Carolina 2000 independent films 2000s English-language films 2000s female buddy films