Four young people, all with different disabilities, turn up for their time at the swimming pool and that’s all there is to this simple, and strangely charming, film. They have an instructor (Raul Capote) looking after them, but he tries to leave them to do their own thing. The swimming pool is their place to be free and have fun together.The group consists of three boys (Oscar, Rodrigo and Dani) and one girl (Diana), some with a disability more obvious than others – Diana has lost one leg, for example, while Dani has Down’s Syndrome, for example.
Sunshine and relaxation may be the vibe that comes off The Swimming Pool in waves (no pun intended, honestly), but that’s not to say that it’s a completely inconsequential diversion. It’s deeper than it initially appears (seriously, I am not making these puns on purpose) and, despite the short runtime, it’s just over 65 minutes, I encourage movie lovers to give it a go. If you end up hating it, at least you haven’t wasted too much time on it anyway.
Abel Arcos has written something simple, yet effective, and director Carlos Machado Quintela allows it to play out in an unforced, and unhurried, way. The interactions between all of the characters, whether they’re just fooling around together or arguing or looking elsewhere with jealousy in their eyes, says a lot more than the dialogue alone. It speaks volumes about the characters struggling to deal with so many other things, and other people, in their lives. It shows just how important the titular pool is to all of them, because of the company and how they are allowed to behave.
The natural acting from all involved helps. Monica Molinet, Felipe Garcia, Carlos Javier Martinez and Marcos Costa are all very good as the youngsters making the most of their time at the pool while Capote is equally good as the instructor who knows when to give them all room and when to offer help with any potential problems. There are one or two other characters who appear momentarily, but the focus of the film always stays with the quintet of people already named. They are the important ones. They are the centre of their own world, at least for the time at the pool, and the movie belongs to them.
DIRECTOR: CARLOS MACHADO QUINTELA
WRITER: ABEL ARCOS
STARS: RAUL CAPOTE, MONICA MOLINET, FELIPE GARCIA, CARLOS JAVIER MARTINEZ, MARCOS COSTA
RUNTIME: 66 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: CUBA/VENENZUELA
Film Rating: 
