The Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay, 2012)
Narrative Structure
The swimmer follows a young man who swims down a canal, and has several encounters with people from all sorts of places. He encounters a young couple, a young boy exploring the woods, some strange young men with sticks who try to hunt him, and a fairground. The film plays out entirely in black and white and features many songs from the 50’s.
In terms of narrative, the film is quite weak considering it’s 16 minute runtime. Rather than an actual story, the swimmer just has moments of calm where the boy is swimming, which are interrupted by brief encounters. While the film does manage to create a very strong atmosphere, it lacks a coherent and entertaining narrative.
Cinematic influences
The Swimmer was directed by Lynne Ramsay, best known for her work on We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here, and Ratcatcher. She is known for experimental style, which shines through a lot in The Swimmer which places a large emphasis on tone and texture, rather than on narrative.
The film doesn’t really conform to any specific genre, choosing instead to do its own experimental thing.
Creating Meaning and Effect
The film is very textural and artistic, although I’m not going to pretend that I’m smart enough to understand what any of it means.
It uses the following:
-Black and white
-Rewinding footage
-strange little hunter boys
-A winding and confusing narrative
The film is inarguably amazing when it comes to its aesthetic, but i don’t think there was much depth behind it. Which is something I obviously want to avoid in my film.