| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Jun 24, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Lynne Ramsay |
| Writer: | |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | woman director, short film |
| Production Companies | BBC Film, Film4 Productions, Warp Films, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 07, 2026 Entered: Apr 26, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Caleb Powel Lindon-Emms | Boy |
| Gabriel Ronnie Lindon-Emms | Boy |
| Joshua John Lindon-Emms | Boy |
| Jasper Martin | Boy |
| Seth Hunter Perkins | Boy |
| Adam Holden | Tramp |
| Carolina Main | Girl on Bridge |
| Sophie McKeeman | Young Lover - Her |
| Oscar McVeigh | Young Lover - Him |
| Gemma Norris | Girl |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Adam Biskupski | Editor |
| Rory Stewart Kinnear | Music Supervisor |
| Paul Davies | Sound Designer |
| Jane Morton | Production Design |
| Lynne Ramsay | Director |
| Natasha Braier | Director of Photography |
| Sarah Blenkinsop | Costume Design |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Carlton | Producer |
| Diarmid Scrimshaw | Producer |
| Leonie Bell | Executive Producer |
| Katherine Butler | Executive Producer |
| Rory Stewart Kinnear | Executive Producer |
| Ruth Mackenzie | Executive Producer |
| Joe Oppenheimer | Executive Producer |
| Christine Langan | Executive Producer |
| Lynne Ramsay | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Trending Position
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.