The Midnight Swim is a POV drama- mystery film directed by Sarah Adina Smith. The film see three sisters reunite after their mother’s death. Upon their arrival back home, the sisters summon a local legend the Seventh Sister and from there things turn menacing, with dead birds turning up on their doorstep and each night one of the sisters goes down to the lake: though she can’t remember doing it.
Very much like my last review Don’t Leave Home this is a very uniquely bizarre film, there is very little else like this out there. Just when you think you have a handle on what it is, it surprises you. When I first put it on, I thought it would be a standard found footage horror film, but it is nothing like that at all: it is so much more.
There is a constant feeling of unease and menace throughout this film, you can tell that something is amiss right from the start of the film. It is never very clear exactly what is going on, whether it is something supernatural or whether it is something closer to home. The film never seems to want to say one way or another, there is a twist towards the end of the film that suggests that June (Lindsey Burdge), who has been filming everything the whole time is in fact mentally ill and has been doing all of the scary occurrences in the film.
However, later in the film when June has blacked out and goes to jump into the water for the final time something moves her camera and there is no one else around. So, there must be more afoot.
There is a lot of new age mysticism in this film that adds an interesting new dimension to it, there is all this talk about rebirth and reincarnation, and it gives you a lot of intriguing things to think about. All of this adds to a very special personality that this film has which makes it entirely unlike everything else.
Overall, this film is special in a lot of ways, very few films could have you feel tense and uneasy for an hour and a half and include a musical number. This is a beautiful film and a hell of a debut, check it out!
Pros.
A mystery that has no clear answer.
Great characters.
Very unlike anything else.
A new take on found footage.
Cons.
It is a little slow at times.
4.5/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 