''Swim Team'' is a 2016 American

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus of the plot. D ...

about a competitive swim team of teenagers on the

autism spectrum Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. The film was directed and produced by Lara Stolman. It premiered at the 2016

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held annually in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The festival began in 1991, with a screening of ten Academy Award-nominated documentaries. Overview The festival screens 100 docum ...

and was released in theaters in the United States on July 7, 2017.

Synopsis

''Swim Team'' follows the Jersey Hammerheads swim team, based in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

, founded by parent volunteers Michael and Maria McQuay, and made up entirely of teenagers on the autism spectrum; the team is also largely Latino and Asian. Focusing on three athletes and their struggles in and out of the water, the film explores themes and issues related to their transitions to adulthood, and how their parents cope with raising a child with autism.

Production

Director Lara Stolman is a longtime TV news and documentary producer, and ''Swim Team'' is her documentary feature debut. Filming took place from January 2014 through June 2014, with follow-ups over the next year. It was selected for IFP's 2016 Documentary Completion Lab, and received grants from

New York Women in Film and Television New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is a non-profit membership organization for women in film, television, and digital media. The organization is an educational forum for media professionals and a network for the exchange of information a ...

, the Loreen Arbus Foundation, the Aetna Foundation, and the Karma Foundation.

Release

''Swim Team'' premiered at the 2016

on October 9, 2016, where it was named Best Sports Documentary. It was released theatrically in a limited run starting at

IFC Center IFC Center is an art house movie theater in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. Located at 323 Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) at West 3rd Street, it was formerly the Waverly Theater, an art house movie theater. IFC Center is ...

in New York on July 7, 2017. It aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

' '' POV'' on October 2, 2017, and began streaming on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on April 2, 2018.

Reception

Robert Abele of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote, "The breaststroking, freestyling young athletes in 'Swim Team' couldn't be more different in terms of personality, drive, appeal and, of course, developmental challenges, and it gives this film from Lara Stolman its particular character, heart and verve." James Sullivan of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' wrote, "The film has plenty going for it, from the strength of its character development to the beauty of its balletic underwater footage." The film was called "an eye-opening look at one couple's response to the dearth of public services, therapies and programs for their son" by Sheri Linden of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. "Stolman has gained the trust of these families, resulting in an intimacy that's both insightful and disarming", wrote Christy Lemire in

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

. "It feels like a privilege to get to know these folks - to share in their private moments as well as their pride. The result is a film that's both eye-opening and heart-opening." ''Swim Team'' won the Jury Award for Best New Jersey Film at the 2016 Monmouth Film Festival; the New Jersey Films Competition at the 2017

Montclair Film Festival Montclair, New Jersey, Montclair Film is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit that organizes the annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF). The festival is held between mid- to late- October in Montclair, New Jersey. The festival showcases new works fr ...

; Best Cinematography at the 2017 Wales International Documentary Film Festival; the Human Spirit Award at the 2017

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

, where it was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature; and the Jury Award for Ethos at the 2017

Social Impact Media Awards SIMA Studios, also known as the Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit impact media agency based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2012 by Daniela Kon Lieberberg, SIMA is dedicated to advancing global awareness, human righ ...

, US.

References

External links

Official website
* * * {{Metacritic film 2016 films 2016 documentary films American sports documentary films Swimming films Documentary films about autism Films shot in New Jersey POV (TV series) films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films about disability in the United States English-language documentary films Documentary films about sportspeople with disabilities