Swimmer

2012 0h 17m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 34

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young man swims across the rivers and lakes of Britain to a soundtrack of assorted nationalistic music. As he passes people on the banksides including children, lovers and a tramp their thoughts and conversations are also heard. Ultimately, after walking through a wood at night, the boy returns to the water and appears to sink below the surface.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tom Litten
The Swimmer
Niall Burton
Child Swimmer
Curtis Coker
Child Swimmer
Tony Heirs
Child Swimmer
Charlie Likeman
Child Swimmer
Joshua Coleman
Boy
Samuel Harry Hockday
Boy
Kit Johnson
Boy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 17-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lynne Ramsay, shot by Natasha Braier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Adam Biskupski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tom Litten and Niall Burton and Curtis Coker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2149702 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 34 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lynne Ramsay directs. Natasha Braier behind the camera. Adam Biskupski cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 17-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Directed by Lynne Ramsay, shot by Natasha Braier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Adam Biskupski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tom Litten and Niall Burton and Curtis Coker carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt2149702 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 34 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Natasha Braier
Editing: Adam Biskupski
Production design: Jane Morton
Costume design: Sarah Blenkinsop
Sound: Paul Davies
Runtime: 17 min · 0h 17m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Swimmer (2012)

Also by

Lynne Ramsay

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-25
★ 7/10
Quite near the end, there is a monochrome sequence as Tom Litten swims across a loch, or a lake, with the sun setting behind him whilst Vaughan Williams’s “…Thomas Tallis” is playing that is simply gorgeous to look at. Indeed, much of this is an attractive watch as this young man swims the waterways of the UK observing and being observed by people, their pets, their children and the wildlife. The photography shows us the litheness of the swimmer as he effortlessly glides through the water as well as also displaying the beauty of the scenery. That’s not a sterile sensation; this scenery is alive and buzzing and vibrant and this almost entirely unscripted film just lets us relax and let it wash over us. The final scene is peaceful, but also quite perplexing… Definitely worth ten minutes.

Production companies