The Midnight Swim

I saw this film at the Ithaca Fantastic Film Festival two days ago and still haven't quite gotten over it. The Midnight Swim is a story of three sisters, their dead mother, and a lake. It is at once a piercing family drama, a somber meditation on life and death, and the creepiest film I have seen since The Orphanage in 2008. It is also an excellent example of how a small budget can work to a film's advantage when the film-makers are bearing a surplus of imagination and intelligence.

I won't give away the story, but the film is shot in point-of-view style by one of the sisters, who is collecting footage for a documentary about her family. I have always been of two minds about POV film-making. While I have admired the visceral immediacy of this approach, I have often missed in it the deeper emotional resonances that are possible in conventional film-making. One of the revelations of this movie for me is that a film can have both of these qualities at the same time.

I was also bowled over by the cast. If these three actresses aren't sisters, they could be. The documentary style gives them nowhere to hide, and the performances had to be spotless in order for the film to work. (They are spotless and at times absolutely hair-raising.) Greatly to actors' credit, it is impossible to tell how much of the dialogue was written and how much of it was improvised.

Two days later, I am still brooding on this movie. It is beautiful, troubling, weird and enthralling -- a film to haunt one's dreams.

If you're all about the feels and could care less about substance, you'll probably love this and coo about it to all your gal (and maybe certain guy) pals.

Solid film-making and acting are wasted.

For a better movie, with a similar concept, setting and an actual payoff, watch Honeymoon (2014).

June (Lindsay Burdge) with her half-sisters Annie (Jennifer Lafleur) and Isa (Aleksa Palladino) travel to the lakeside family vacation home. Their mother Amelia Brooks (Beth Grant) disappeared after going for a swim. Filmmaker June is filming their experience. Mysterious happenings send the girls to suspect something ghostly.

I expected more of a horror. It's trying to be spooky and atmospheric. More than anything, it's very slow. It's a mystery that comes to little. At less than ninety minutes, the movie is too long for its material. I do like the sisterly chemistry, but there isn't much else.

I recently watched The Midnight Swim (2014) on Shudder. The storyline revolves around a notoriously deep lake, with few ever having reached the bottom-except one woman who went diving and never returned. The woman is pronounced dead, and her three daughters head out to their lake house, where their mother was last seen, to settle her affairs and decide what to do with her belongings and the property. They also feel strangely drawn to the lake, but why?

This film is written and directed by Sarah Adina Smith (Buster's Mal Heart) and stars Lindsay Burdge (The Invitation), Jennifer LaFleur (Nope), Aleksa Palladino (Boardwalk Empire), and Beth Grant (Donnie Darko).

The premise had some potential, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The family dynamic and relationships among the sisters are well established. The acting is solid, and there are some worthwhile subplots sprinkled in. Unfortunately, not much happens for the majority of the film. The repeated "horror" elements throughout weren't as creepy as intended. The "twist" at the end was eye-rolling, and the conclusion is straightforward and predictable.

In conclusion, The Midnight Swim isn't scary, isn't deep, and isn't worth your time. I would score it a 4/10 and recommend skipping it.

This movie was rooted in outstanding performances by the sisters. Lindsay Burdge is a flat out amazing actress and was maybe even out-acted by Jennifer Lafleur and Aleska Palladino. Their performances alone kept me watching.

However, I am not sure where are these reviews of "horror" and "haunting" are coming from. This movie baits you in to think there will be some bone-chilling climax, but never delivers. This may steer many people away that go into this movie expecting some chills. it is FLAT OUT not suspenseful at all.

This movie is a great story, it is mind bending, and thought provoking with some great acting...but that is where it stops. The story progresses slowly and never really capitalizes on the small moments that are set to build up suspense.

If you do watch, go into it as a short drama with good performances. Do not expect to be blown away by suspense or a thrilling plot.