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October 5, 2003
Swimming
Still in the mood for low-budget, independent films, I rented Swimming last night. Swimming focuses on Frankie (played by Lauren Ambrose), a teenage girl who works in and co-owns a restaurant on the main drag of Myrtle Beach. The plot itself risks appearing to be a cliche coming-of-age story about the summer when everything changed (she meets an awkward stoner who sells tie-dyed t-shirts; she befriends a sexually confident woman who comes to work in her restaurant; and her old friendships are tested by these new relationships). But like Roger Ebert, I think the film is saved by Ambrose's subtle performance in the lead role, and the script avoids simple moral platitudes about "growing up."
Perhaps the most interesting detail about the film is that it was directed by film professor, Robert Siegel, from a script by one of his students, Lisa Bazadona.
Posted by chuck at October 5, 2003 11:18 AM
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