Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The Swimmer (1968)


IMDb plot summary: A man spends a summer day swimming as many pools as he can all over a quiet suburban town.
Directed by Frank Perry. Starring Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, and Tony Bickley.

What a strange and fascinating movie this is. It's vaguely fantastical, feeling almost like a Greek myth in its scope and themes. The final 5 minutes or so I found extremely moving and haunting. Burt Lancaster is incredibly good in this, charming but with a sense of being slightly "off," and this incongruity becomes stronger and clearer as the movie goes on. This is one that I think is going to stick with me for some time.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Swimmer > The Wiz
The Swimmer > Cats (2019)
The Swimmer < The Grapes of Wrath
The Swimmer > Monsieur Lazhar
The Swimmer < Adaptation
The Swimmer < True Lies
The Swimmer > Flight
The Swimmer > The Shawshank Redemption
The Swimmer < Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead
The Swimmer > Nurse Betty
The Swimmer > Synecdoche, New York
The Swimmer > Brigsby Bear
Final spot: #540 out of 3104.

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