Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Sasha Nathwani
Starring: Deba Hekmat, Lydia Fleming, Denzel Baidoo, Solly McLeod, Jay Lycurgo, Michelle
Greenidge, Narges Rashidi
That fateful day when teenagers learn the results of their final school
exams can seem like either the greatest or worst day of their young
lives. Most of us later look back and realise those results made little
to no impact on how our lives subsequently played out, that we can't be
reduced to letters on a sheet of paper, but at the time it can feel like
your entire future will be determined on that day. It's fitting that
such results are handed out at the end of summer, creating a sense that
the sun is going down on childhood and the ground will soon be covered
in the fallen leaves of adulthood. It's also intensely cruel, as what
should be an opportunity for teens to enjoy one last summer before
entering the adult world is ruined by the knot you carry in your stomach
over those months as you await your exam results.
With his feature debut Last Swim, director Sasha Nathwani (co-writing with Helen Simmons) captures that end of summer/end of childhood uncertainty. His film is
set on exam results day, which should be a cause for celebration for his
young heroine Ziba (Deba Hekmat). Ziba has aced her A-levels,
acquiring the results she needs to study Astrophysics. But Ziba's
academic success is bittersweet. Earlier in the summer she was diagnosed
with a medical condition (it's never explicitly detailed, but we assume
it's Cancer), jeopardising her ability to attend college, and indeed her
entire future.
Largely for the sake of her friends, to whom she hasn't disclosed her
condition, Ziba decides to celebrate regardless. Nerd that she is, Ziba
draws up a detailed spreadsheet plan for the day, which is centred on
catching a once in a generation meteor shower at 9.30pm. Ominously, Ziba
has left a final cell on the spreadsheet marked "11:59" empty.
Ironically, Ziba's friends are celebrating Ziba's achievements rather
than their own. Shea (Solly McLeod) is already working for his
father as a mechanic. Merf (Jay Lycurgo) has begun modelling. And
Tara (Lydia Fleming) is too carefree to give much thought to her
future. It's suggested none of them did very well in their exams, but
they don't seem all that bothered.
Ziba finds a kindred spirit and possible romance when the group is
joined by Malcolm (Denzel Baidoo), a slightly older boy whom she
had never met before. Like Ziba, Malcolm's future has been cast into
doubt, having been dropped by the football academy at which he has spent
the past decade. As with Ziba, he keeps his bad news from his
friends.
Last Swim plays out over a sunny day in which these five friends hang out
like a modern London Enid Blyton quintet, traversing the city in search
of perfect falafel sandwiches, swimming in an urban park, dropping
mushrooms and being mesmerised by a celestial event. The latter may not
boast the most convincing effects work, but it sells the idea that a
great moment that isn't of humanity's making can make you realise how
insignificant you are in the grand scheme, and how accepting your
insignificance can be freeing, because if you don't matter then neither
do your troubles. It brought me back to when I visited the Grand Canyon,
and how gazing into this vast crevice made me feel alive.
At the same time, I understood why so many people are overcome with a
compulsion to leap into the Canyon's void, and Ziba's reaction to the
meteor shower sets us on edge as the movie's title becomes increasingly
foreboding. Malcolm speaks of his father passing away, but he never
reveals the cause. But the way he looks at Ziba suggests he recognises
worryingly familiar signs of a defeated spirit.
There's a moment when the friends take the underground and the scene
plays out in silence, focussing on their faces as they individually
process where they're at in life. It reminded me of a similar scene in
Walter Hill's The Warriors, and in a way Last Swim is a cousin of that film, but instead of traversing a city to
avoid rival gangs, here the youths here are trying to outrun
adulthood.
Anchored by a mesmeric Hekmat, playing a very different character to
the rebellious teen she essayed in last year's Hoard, Nathwani has assembled a strikingly good young cast. That we believe
all these teens have been lifelong friends goes a long way to making us
care for them. The characters of Last Swim may face uncertain futures, but we get the sense that for these
young actors, the only way is up.
Last Swim is in UK/ROI cinemas
from April 4th.
