The Midnight Swim

The family drama unfolds more like a mystery, gradually revealing a dynamic fraught with emotional trauma.

The pieces don't entirely cohere, but Ms. Smith has a promising sensibility.

In her debut feature, Smith is careful to toe the line between skepticism and belief, never allowing us to fully dismiss or embrace the mystic elements.

The three actresses display a realistic camaraderie, but their characters are insufficiently actualized to achieve adequate differentiation.

In addition to eliciting solid performances from her cast, Smith has assembled a thoroughly professional film on a small budget.

...its slow burn is so slow that it tries the patience...

The Midnight Swim is a low and slow success story that lingers far after the credits roll, washing over viewers with waves of sincerity.

The relationship among the three sisters is THE MIDNIGHT SWIM's greatest strength - Palladino, Lafleur and Burdge are so believably family.

Burdge, Lafleur, and Palladino are effortlessly believable as sisters, but that only makes it a shame that the script doesn't take fuller advantage of their innate chemistry.

Swim is, among other things, a movie about sisters, who actually seem like sisters...This may seem like a small thing, but it's an aspect of filmmaking that's ignored often enough to be noteworthy when it's not.

Lose the found footage-ish angle and this is a marvelous descent into myth and possible madness.

Those seeking scares will be disappointed, but if a lovely little story beside a beautiful lake is enough for you, you won't leave unsatisfied.