The Swimmer Movie Review

The Swimmer is a film from the 1960s, and it reflects that era's anti-modernity. Its subliminal visual sequences and witty dialogue are easy to love, but it's difficult to figure out the movie's conclusions. The '60s were a time of social and political revolution, and The Swimmer aims to present that anti-modernity at its best.

Insouciant dialogue

The Swimmer is a short film that recreates the feeling of a short story. Like a short story, "The Swimmer" is written in a very literary style, with episodes that are disjointed and don't flow naturally between one scene to the next.

The film is based on a short story by John Cheever. It follows a wealthy suburbanite who loses everything he holds dear. In order to cope with his life, he represses the last two years of his life. His final swim reveals old friends, who he once regarded with contempt, and ultimately brings him to his old house.

Sublime visual sequences

The Swimmer movie contains a number of sublime visual sequences. One of these involves the body being shaved during the opening credits. The film also features an electro-pop soundtrack, which lends the film a distinctive energy. The lack of warmth in the film's tone may be a disappointment for some viewers, but the film's solitary nature fits in with the sport's solitary nature. Regardless, the movie provides an entry-level look into this world of extreme sports.

Trier's films offer a rich seam of possibilities for exploring the notion of the sublime. His films arrest time and explore the temporal sublime through the prism of images and the affective encounter they evoke.

Tough to decipher conclusions on your own

"The Swimmer" is a strange, convoluted drama with numerous self-reveals. The disconcerting message it attempts to convey is largely unclear. It also turns inward slowly. While many people may find the story to be absorbing, it's tough to figure out what the film's real message is on your own.

Powerful punchline

There is a powerful punchline in The Swimmer movie that evokes the glory days of Hollywood. The era of the '60s was a time of sweeping social change and an attempt to present the most cutting-edge version of domestic life. Yet, the movie also reminds us of the anti-modernity that permeated the era.

"The Swimmer" is based on a story by John Cheever, a New Yorker author. Cheever's narrator re-creates a rich suburbanite who loses everything in a tragic accident. He then blocks out the last two years of his life, and ends up confronting his old friends and running into people he'd mistreated. In the end, Merrill is able to reach his old home, where he finds the life he'd lost in his youth.