The Midnight Swim2014

A little clunky at times but well worth continuing 'til the end. Relationship driven, not action-based. Good performances. Unusual shots and atypical sound design add to the growing unease of the characters and the viewer as the story unfolds. Though less than perfect, I found The Midnight Swim to be enjoyable and memorable.

A pseudo doc about the return of 2 sisters to the lake-side home of their mother who disappeared mysteriously in a bottomless lake. They are unsure what to do with the house they inherited and the 1 sister who lives there films them and their neighbor friend. Mother was a naturalist and somewhat difficult parent. A little slow particularly with the "music video segment" but not bad.

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I'm torn on this one. The characters, setting and basic plot were engaging, and the acting as good as could be asked. However, while for the most part effective, the use of sound effects was at times overblown and distracting. As well, there were aspects of the story that seemed, at least to me, unnecessary, such as SPOILER the character Josh, while the relationship of the sisters could have been more deeply explored. With only these minor complaints I would have given it four stars, if it weren't for the very ending. The near-to-end, with June scuba diving was, I felt, quite strong and should have been left to stand on its own. The scenes afterward destroyed the question that the entire film skirted; whether what was happening was due to supernatural forces or not. The mystery and foreboding the film had created to that point was lost, and our imagination smothered. Perhaps a minor quibble to some, but it greatly lessened my enjoyment of the film.