Swimmer
Dir: Lynne Ramsay
2012
****

The year after Lynne Ramsay directed the critically acclaimed We Need To Talk About Kevin, she was co-commissioned by BBC Films, Film4 and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was one of four unique short film co-commissions for the event and it ended up being nominated for the British Independent Film Awards in the category for Best Short Film. It won a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film at the 66th British Academy Film Awards in 2013. It is unlike any of her previous features or short films and maybe closer to the music video she made for the band Doves called Black and White Town. While the visuals of the film were more in keeping with the rest of Doves album artwork, Lynne Ramsay’s video was very much focused on people and behaviour. All her work is focused on people and behaviour to some degree but the difference here was the silence (apart from the music of course). Swimmer is filmed in glorious contrasting black and white and is without script. Audio is heard but it is all from archived recordings. The Swimmer (Tom Litten) is literally swimming and also ‘swimming’ through his thoughts and memories. It’s a personal journey that I believe reflects the personal journeys those competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were going through but also the journey it took for the games to be held in London. I interpret with confirmation as little is written about the film. There is a fantasy element to the film also which is interesting (and a little confusing) and, once again, I would hazard a guess that this reflects on the fact that competing in the games may feel as a fantasy to many. I think Ramsay is expressing the importance of dreams when it comes to fulfilling ambition. The rough and the smooth make us who we are and mold our character, the swimmer in the film is reliving the moments, dreams and memories that got him where he is and that keep him going forward. He is at times submerged but he always manages to swim on, eventually propelling forward at speed in calm waters. It’s incredibly symbolic. I believe it is as much for the Olympians as it is reflective of Ramsay’s own feelings. I might be completely wrong on all counts but it is a beautiful and thought-provoking short that deserved the praise it received. It’s a rather expressionist piece compared to her previous short films but it is every bit as brilliant – just with a fancier camera.