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| Image courtesy of Strand Releasing |
Homophobia in sports isn’t a new phenomenon in America, and the new gauge of what’s acceptable has been moving with more and more athletes coming out. However, full acceptance of queer athletes is still a ways off, especially in other countries.
Adam Kalderon’s The Swimmer (2022) depicts this effectively, even if the film doesn’t fully gel together. Beautiful cinematography and a strong sensuality pull the viewer in as protagonist Erez (Omer Perelmen Striks) struggles with homophobia at an Olympic training camp. The film’s brief 90 minutes follows five swimmers training for weeks to qualify as Israel’s pick for the Olympics under the cantankerous tutelage of Coach Dima (Igal Reznik).
From the opening scene, Erez is coded as gay through neon pink colors in his clothes and bright orange speedo, which contrast with all the other swimmers’ dark blue or black speedos. Casual jokes and ‘faggot’ are thrown around during practice, which Dima puts a quick stop to when everyone is training. However, the homophobia is strong during post-swim shower scenes in locker rooms.
Erez doesn’t speak up or out against this, perhaps from not feeling as secure in his identity or perhaps from being part of a culture where talking about being queer isn’t acceptable. Characters always talk around the subject instead of addressing it head on, with parents and coaches speaking about ‘getting distracted’ or ‘letting a friendship get in the way of qualifying’. These are the conversations that happen between Erez and Dima after it becomes obvious that Erez starts falling for trainee Nevo Yasur (Asaf Jonas).
Intense training sequences make for a compelling film about the realities of training for the Olympics, but the film intersperses small scenes to remind how gay this movie really is. Erez enjoys putting in his earbuds and dancing to techno music in his room alone. He also steals a pair of Nevo’s underwear that gets left behind in the locker room. And the opening credits are placed atop shots of male bodies being lathered with blue gel and shaved. The male gaze is very strong here, with close ups of every male, even middle-aged Dima, in their speedos.
Some moments of empathy occur between two female staff and Erez, with trainer Paloma (Nadia Kucher) giving him practical and wise advice while also letting him try on her leotard from when she was in the Olympics. Throughout, neither character ever says ‘gay’, with assistant coach Yael (Aviv Karmi) interrupting Dima and preventing him from saying the word.
Erez and Nevo’s relationship becomes the centerpiece here, with a strong ‘will they or won’t they’ vibe as they sneak off together and get further entangled in each other’s lives at the training center. Nevo’s orientation is left open to interpretation, though scenes of his girlfriend visiting are contrasted with scenes of Erez’s girlfriend coming to visit. It’s never clear if Erez is bisexual or using his girlfriend to keep up appearances, though this film would strongly point to the latter. As each of their identity becomes more apparent, their relationship with coach Dima also begins to change.
The code of silence about being gay ties the film togetherwell, even if the various scenes of training and of Erez struggling with his orientation don’t always flow together. The climax becomes a crowd-pleaser, even if it is a bit jarring.
The film won Outstanding Feature GLAAD Media award, and also won funds from the Israeli Film Council.
The Swimmer is currently streaming on TUBI and Deeko.
-EB