DCist’s daily roundup of a number of films playing tomorrow at the AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs festival.
As Silverdocs heads into its final few days, many of the films being shown are second screenings of films that premiered earlier in the week. So our roundups cover fewer films from here on out, but be sure to check out the roundups from previous days if you’re curious about films that are playing from now until the end of the festival; you’ll find many of them were written up earlier in the week. Additionally, for anyone looking for DCist’s usual Thursday Popcorn & Candy film roundup, that column is taking a break this week in favor of our Silverdocs coverage.
Those not quite yet ready to suffer the indignities of middle-age — toddlers mocking your weight, the lingering memories of your failed music career — needn’t add the unflattering bulges from a wetsuit to the pile of grievances. Yet, that’s one of the many dilemmas facing the good natured gang of paunchy Swedes in Dylan Williams’ doc Men Who Swim, a tender look at the difficulties of knowing one’s place in the world through the curious practice of male synchronized swimming.
Though this brief film manages to synthesize numerous cinematic tropes — the scrappy underdog sports team and the exploration of a quirky subculture jump to mind — Men Who Swim has more heart than its Busby Berkeley-meets-The Fully Monty premise lets on.
After moving to Sweden for his wife, the Welsh-born Williams decides to combat the acculturative stress of his new home by trying his luck at competitive swimming, an activity described by an oblivious Italian DJ as being for “women and homosexuals.” The team’s practices are an exercise in frustration, tempers flailing freely while creaky limbs prove more stubborn. But even if this rag-tag team of misfits never quite gets its act together (possibly attributable to the clandestine nips of alcohol in the shower), the story’s emotional core belongs to Williams, whose gradual appreciation for his new found relationships emerges despite his persistent economic and existential struggles.
Though the world could do without yet another glimpse into the unmagnificent lives of unsatisfied man-children, Men Who Swim’s charming warts-and-all philosophy helps remind you how compelling the journey towards maturity can be when it’s told with honesty and compassion.
View the trailer
Premieres tomorrow at 3:45 p.m. in the Discovery HD Theater, and screens again on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. in the AFI Silver Theater 2.
