Wild Swimmers is the feature-length debut of Charity Film Award-winning writer-director Ric Rawlins. Hong Kong-born Deji (Valerie Kwok) is attending university in England. She’s a journalism student who’s determined to get to the bottom of all the people who drowned in the nearby river. Her boyfriend, Mark (Harry Mason), is not exactly thrilled about the prospect of her investigating such a deadly place alone and maybe drowning. His fears are not unfounded, as two people just went missing on the river, and then Mark is brutally killed by what appears to be an underwater snake that bit him. All this commotion catches the ire of local fisherman Rakinon (Robin Bailes), who wants to be left in peace. Deji teams up with photographer Kim (Caroline Murray) to unearth who or what is killing anyone who wishes to splash about in the river.
One of the least discussed aspects of horror is its diversity. Friday the 13th. Alligator. The Exorcist. The Howling. All of these are horror titles, but they are all wildly different. From slasher to creature feature to family drama to werewolf, none of them share a tone or atmosphere outside of being able to be creepy. Rawlins goes the mystery route, as the hook of the plot is Deji and Kim uncovering the truth of these decades-long mysterious drownings. The horror comes from the murders, while the driving force is the leads’ investigation. The combination of the two works quite well here, especially as the mostly dialogue-free final 10 minutes reveal the point of the film.
A significant portion of Wild Swimmers is set during the day, lending the film a distinct atmosphere. Rawlins served as director of photography, while Ali Jennings was in charge of the underwater cinematography. The film looks polished and pristine, so when the violence does occur, it has a shocking, visceral quality.
A witch-like scarecrow looms over the water in Wild Swimmers, signaling the river’s dark and supernatural secrets
“…a journalism student who’s determined to get to the bottom of all the people who drowned in the nearby river.”
Kwok is outstanding, projecting determination and resolve. Murray brings a good amount of levity, so not everything is dour. Bailes is easy to dislike, making him the perfect possible baddie. Mason shares good chemistry with Kwok. He overcomes some odd writing revolving around the character to sell Mark’s need for Deji to be safe, believably.
Two scenes don’t work here. The first is when Deji is attacked on her boat. The editing makes it seem like she has plenty of time to get to very near shore and out of harm’s way. Several seconds tick by, making her appear a little dim. It is a stumble nowhere else in the film. The other issue revolves around Mark’s desire to have Deji pair an AirTag to her phone so he can always find her. In a conversation Deji has with Kim, this is presented as him being controlling and not trusting her. Um, WTF? The college student is actively investigating deaths on a river with an unusually high amount of drownings and snake bite victims. How is Mark wishing to know where Deji is so he knows she’s safe and can get her if need be (as happens once) a bad thing? This only shows him as caring and wanting her to be safe and not die. It makes zero sense, and unless a longer director’s cut comes out with extra footage/scenes highlighting Mark being an actual jerk, this stands as the biggest sin of the film. Given that this isn’t even 80 minutes long (78, to be exact), it is unlikely that there is all that much to be added back in.
Wild Swimmers stumbles sometimes, especially where Mark is concerned. But the mystery at the story’s heart is very engaging, and the horror sequences thrill and frighten in equal measure. The cast is quite strong and overcomes the scripting issues. This might be imperfect, but it serves as a solid stepping stone for Rawlins, who proves he can deliver thrills when called to do so.
"…serves as a solid stepping stone for Rawlins..."
