The Midnight Swim (2014) User Reviews

Failed on all counts, except for casting and acting. No interesting developments, no interesting family secrets revealed, and I missed creepiness all over

[JvH48 · 4/10 · 27 April 2015]

Saw this at the IMAGINE film festival 2015 in Amsterdam. It missed all potential chances to be interesting, in spite of the many recommendations one can derive from the synopsis on the festival website. The introductory talk of the festival programmer was also very positive, which fully explains the even-so positive tone on the website. But I disagree.

Something happens all the time, so the movie is not boring on itself. But the proceedings disappointed and are only mildly interesting. I did not notice anything noteworthy in the controversies between the sisters and/or hidden problems with their mother. Maybe that sort of relational drama is important for romcom fans, but not for me. Many seemingly deep symbolisms about the "seven sisters" constellation, with one star hardly visible (like the youngest sister who is filming all this, and her sisters don't really count her for full as we find out), the birds that fly themselves to death against the window (one each day), and so on. All of that are attempts to suggest some hidden meanings, but it went all past me.

Anyway, the festival audience thought not much of this film. It ranked lowest for the audience award with average score 4.90 out of 10. To add insult to injury: I'm wondering who filmed the final scene, as I don't think this is a "found footage" category of film.

Great ActING, no ActION

[mrmurr9909 · 4/10 · 20 January 2017]

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.

not much

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 30 June 2023]

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.

Pretentious muddled film

[discerninguser · 1/10 · 14 February 2021]

This is not a horror film, rather it is semi drama and semi pseudo-philosophical tripe, which ends up making no sense. Waste of time watching it.

Glad I Didn't Buy It; Wish I Could Forget It

[jason-boaden · 1/10 · 5 November 2018]

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).

Reincarnation

[twelve-house-books · 1/10 · 5 May 2022]

This film is an elaborate attempt to introduce yet more people to the erroneous idea of reincarnation. The three girls are pretty, no doubt--very easy on the eyes. But the purpose of the film is suggested from its beginning, and made clear as it finishes. This is not a Horror film, nor is it a Thriller or Psychological Horror. It's a Drama, albeit not told exactly linearly.

Thank God the actresses were attractive

[dricchezza · 4/10 · 8 May 2022]

This was 90 minutes of boredom saved only by the fact that the three sisters are very pretty and you wouldn't mind being stuck in a house with them for a long weekend. As far as any horror elements - I couldn't find them. This was a feminist romp through crazy town and that's pretty much it.

A Good Drama. It's Not a Horror

[Spike_the_Cactus · 8/10 · 4 January 2020]

It's difficult to recommend this as it blends different genres in a very specific way. It's found footage with non-FF elements. It's mostly a drama about three grieving sisters, but with a supernatural undertone. For some it could be too much of a family drama. For others it could have too much creepy stuff.

I'm a fan of FF horror films, and that's what led me to The Midnight Swim. It starts to go down that path with the mythology of the lake, but for horror fans it's best to think of the film only dipping its toe in. The real story is the relationship between the sisters, and dealing with grief. Despite not expecting the film to go in that direction I was pleasantly surprised. There are some stunning shots, superb acting, and a moving exploration of dying and rebirth. All of which is interwoven into an old ghost story.

What a waste of time...

[bethsgem-13693 · 2/10 · 26 May 2022]

As the mother of 3 daughters I was very curious to watch what was under horror/thriller. It is neither, it is just a really bad movie. Boring but I hung in there waiting for something , anything to happen. Ya, nothing here in this movie, let me tell you my favorite part aside from end credits was how nice the strawberries looked at breakfast with the 3 sisters..skip this one !

A film to haunt one's dreams

[walshchad · 10/10 · 16 November 2014]

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.

"The Midnight Swim" - An Unforgettable Dive!

[kraftwerk423 · 10/10 · 30 June 2015]

This is a FANTASTIC new suspense film (a drama of spiritual decay, a visual/aural/tonal pastiche, one could say) that I really, truly think many of you will love...I'd say probably the most efficient way to sum up this movie and its emotional impact is to describe it as "The Big Chill" meets "The Shining", that is completely unafraid to take its time to get where it's eerily going (but not TOO much time, with a highly-tidy 90-minute run), with a fine improv-mumblecore glaze of "Paranormal Activity" as well...but the incredible feminine-driven substance, its brilliantly-evocative/symbolic cinematography and artfully-potent editing (easily the best I've ever seen in a "found footage movie"), and its deft and incredibly-memorable uses of great emotional acting and sudden/subtle tone shifts is what *really* gives this film its heart that will stay with you beneath all the ambiguous Kubrickian/Lynchian suspense. It also passes the famed Bechdel Test with flying colors for once! So let's all help this soon-to-be cult favorite for far more than just suspense/horror buffs earn its place! You'll be very happy you did! :)

mysterious, artful exploration of sisterhood, family and mental illness.

[blythe17 · 10/10 · 26 June 2015]

"The Midnight Swim" is a mysterious, artful exploration of sisterhood, family, and mental illness. It's the kind of film that takes you on a mysterious journey that you really want to go on, and that you think about for weeks afterward. I was lucky enough to see this at the Berkshire International Film Festival and now it is playing at theaters around the United States. The performances by the actors, in particular by Jennifer Lafleur (but they are all great) are stand-out. The directing is assured and clear and quite clearly done by someone with the eye of an artist. The cinematography is also beautiful and magical and pulls you into the story. If this film comes to your town, I highly recommend you see it on the big screen. Otherwise, look out for it on VOD!