Swimmers (2005)

If you're a lover of the finest in film acting and potent drama, Swimmers is one of those 'smaller' films you won't want to miss.

In spite of some continuity issues and a story that seemed rushed and a bit disjointed, especially in the early going, I found myself drawn into this family portrait. The story is told from the viewpoint of a lonely eleven year-old girl who becomes friends with an older girl, played by Sarah Paulson. The young girl, Emma (Tara Devon Gallagher), is facing surgery on her ear to save her hearing, but her family is struggling financially and cannot afford the operation. As her family slowly disintegrates from the financial pressures, she finds refuge with Merrill, who can be very real and tender with Emma, but exhibits unstable characteristics with men closer to her own age. Not a lot of star power here (the only other name I recognized was Cherry Jones, who played Emma's mother), but the cast was quite believable as these small-town folk, just trying to live their lives of quiet desperation. I found it interesting to see Paulson in an early role.