StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

aaronnz One of the best Aussie films I have seen in years. At first I thought, oh god here we go another badly acted film but give it five minutes and it starts to reveal an overlapping tapestry of characters with diverse personality's, which reflects the often too true reality of the traditional Aussie or New Zealand 1950's/1960's family. The traditionally emotional un-involved alcoholic father,this movie took me back to my own childhood and I am sure many Aussies and New Zealanders can relate. Not only does this film reflect the life of an otherwise ordinary family, who fought against extraordinary overwhelming odds. This film shows that dreams can become reality even for those of us needing to overcome extremely difficult situations. And that all of us are given opportunity's to grab and go with.Great film well acted after the first five minute lol. And with a good cast. A film, which should gain much more recognition that what it maybe has excellent 10/10

noralee "Swimming Upstream" reveals an intense dysfunctional psycho drama behind a competitive sport. It is as moving about a macho male athletic culture, here focused on swimming, as "Friday Night Lights" was about football, particularly as dysfunctionally fueled by alcohol.Geoffrey Rush gives a searing performance as an alcoholic patriarch who arbitrarily plays his sons against each other for his attention and approval.Judy Davis, who usually masters powerful women, here is memorable as a buffeted mother drained by caring for five children, poverty and her occasionally violent husband.Claustrophobic family dynamics are well-captured, particularly in showing how childhood experiences shape adults emotionally forever and what was once a refuge becomes torture.When the sons reach adolescence the screen is filled by blue-eyed Jesse Spencer (he's in a crew-cut with rippling muscles in the pool so much that I didn't recognize him as the very clothed, longish haired doctor in TV's "House") and the young men in small bathing trunks playing his brothers, in heightened scenes of very physical sibling rivalry and closeness.The visuals and production design well communicate the bloke culture of Brisbane in the 1950's and early 1960's, from the fading docks, to the pubs, to the locker rooms, to the union halls, that is brutally carried into the family.The shocked smile on Spencer's face as "Tony Fingleton" discovers a wider culture through his swimming, heck with admiring women in it, is heart warming as I thought that if someone doesn't give that guy a hug already I'll reach through the movie screen and do it myself.Russell Mulcahy's directing, however, frequently undercuts the power, with unnecessary narration and gimmicky camera moves during intense scenes.The timetable as years go by is a bit confusing, especially as annual tournaments repeat.

jv333 This film was the "Closing Selection" for the 2004 San Diego Film Festival. The story shows the emotional pain of growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father. And yet, through the violence and strife emerges the eventual best Olympic swimmer from Australia in his event. The movie was about the life story of Tony Fingleton, whom I was fortunate to meet in person after the film. What an outstanding individual as he fielded audience questions with complete honesty and panache.His story is testament to the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of a troubled and abusive father. Yet despite it all, emerges a positive and intelligent force. There was still a drive to improve one's mind despite a relentlessly critical father in the protagonist's formative years. The emotional family confrontations are not for the squeamish; however, it is a tribute to human optimism and accomplishment. I wish it were revealed a bit more about Tony's drive for education early on, i.e., who inspired that aspect of his development? Geoffrey Rush's acting as the father is stark and striking. The images and messages of this film will stay with you for a very long time!

bill-894 I grew up in Sydney during the 1950's and although my childhood was good it wasn't the "good old days" people like to reminisce about.This film captures the Australia of the 1950's perfectly.An insular nation still coming to grips with who it was and where it was going.As a child I saw men traumatised by the war or the depression; unable to express their feelings and as trapped in their roles as were the women.Rush and Davies were superb as were the actors who played the children.What a pity Tony had to escape to the USA. Has anything really changed?A great little Australian Movie