Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay, 2012)

Narrative Structure

In this film, a swimmer swims through the rivers of the British countryside as he listens to several conversations along the riverbank and appears to sink below the surface of the water.

Cinematography

The cinematography varies with a range of wide and close-up shots that make the audience feel separated from reality just as the swimmer experience as he swims, focusing on the movement of the water and only becoming less jarring when he stops briefly to listen to conversations.

The decision to shoot the film in black and white gives the appearance of the film a dream-like state, suggesting that this is a good dream for the passionate swimmer as he continues to swim for miles. It turns into a nightmare at the end when he appears to be shot by an arrow in the water, sinking to the bottom and yet he emerges unscathed afterwards, further strengthening this reading of the film as it feels real to him

Sound

The sound is perhaps one of the most creative aspects of this film, with music from throughout British cinema history including themes from The Lord of the Flies, playing in the background as the swimmer moves along the river, often timing the more harsher notes in the music to periods of struggle during his swim when he has to swim faster to or from something. The music initially begins at the start with a slight quiet whisper to the tune that creates a suspenseful atmosphere as the titles roll, building anticipation.

Meaning and Response

This film is very subjective depending on what the viewer brings to the film, whilst some might just view it as a swimmer taking a swim, others might see it as an expressionistic piece that demonstrates a swimmers love and fear for the sport.

The cinematography and sound have a great influence of getting the audience into the mind of the swimmer and understanding what they are experiencing. Personally, I think that the person watching the film is the swimmer. The film is presented in such away that places you inside his thoughts as he observes other peoples conversations and his own feelings as he glides through the current.

Contexts of Film

The film was commissioned in order to express Britain’s extensive art culture to display for the 2012 Olympics in London where it would be put on show to the rest of the world.

The swimmer in the film is Tom Litten, a young swimmer who narrowly missed out on being in Team GB for the Olympic swimming team