''Sam'' is a Canadian sports drama film, directed by
Yan England and released in 2021. The film stars
Antoine-Olivier Pilon as Sam, a competitive swimmer who aspires to compete in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
, but who is confronted with a momentous event that forces him to reevaluate his life.
The cast also includes
Mylène Mackay as Sam's older sister and swim coach Judith, Milya Corbeil-Gauvreau as Océane and
Stéphane Rousseau as Marc, as well as
Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Marie-France Marcotte, Catherine Sénart, Simon-Daniel Boisvert, Julie Beauchemin and
Lévi Doré in supporting roles.
The film premiered on July 26, 2021.
Critical reception
Alex Rose of ''
Cult MTL
''Cult MTL'' is an English language arts, culture and news website and monthly print publication, based in Montreal, Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Cent ...
'' negatively reviewed the film, calling it "a hysterically overwrought drama disguised as a sports film" and comparing it negatively to
Pascal Plante's similarly themed 2020 film ''
Nadia, Butterfly''.
[Alex Rose]
"Quebec Olympics drama Sam is a dated weepie posing as a sports film"
''Cult MTL
''Cult MTL'' is an English language arts, culture and news website and monthly print publication, based in Montreal, Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Cent ...
'', July 27, 2021. He wrote that "''Sam''’s distributor has asked the press not to reveal any spoilers about the film, which makes discussing it nearly impossible; suffice to say that ''Sam'' is the kind of film where you see preposterous twists and coincidences coming early on and hope against all hope that your predictions don’t come true. Reader: they all did."
[
Felix Lajoie from le Soleil gave it four starts. "In the long run, the intrigue flows into a frantic rhythm. No pause to fall asleep with endless dialogues. Yan England (1:54) said he wanted to produce a story that keeps the spectator on the edge of his seat. We can say that it is successful."]
References
2021 films
2021 drama films
2020s sports drama films
Canadian sports drama films
Films shot in Quebec
Films set in Quebec
Films about Olympic swimming and diving
Films directed by Yan England
2020s French-language films
French-language Canadian films
2020s Canadian films
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