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Learn To Swim

Play trailer 1:35 Poster for Learn To Swim 2021 1h 30m Romance Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Learn to Swim dives into the enchanting world of contemporary jazz with a musical meditation on love and loss, following the doggedly private and talented saxophone player Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide) and a vivacious, but less experienced singer named Selma (Emma Ferreira). When the two meet, sparks fly, but their respective emotional baggage and temperaments make the road to romance bumpy at best.

Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray Los Angeles Times Tommy... riffs freely, aping the moody, improvisatory style of classic jazz as he works some rich variations on the all-too-common story of an artist knocked around by a rough romance. Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Lisa Kennedy New York Times In this feature directing debut, with a screenplay he co-wrote with Marnie Van Dyk, Tommy works well with his ensemble and is clearly intrigued by emotional states. Or at least the idea of them. Aug 18, 2022 Full Review Aparita Bhandari Globe and Mail Just like a jazz tune, the film establishes an image, elaborates on it and brings it back to a more-or-less satisfying close. Rated: 3/4 Sep 15, 2021 Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) If you’re going to do a movie set in the world of jazz, even if the musicians are on the margins, then you owe the audience some good music. Aug 15, 2022 Full Review Chris Knight National Post In all honestly you could probably sit back, close your eyes and just listen to the music, but then you’d be missing out on the beautifully interwoven story of romance. Rated: 4/5 Mar 25, 2022 Full Review Jennie Punter Original Cin Thomas Antony Olajide delivers an intense yet tender and nuanced performance as Dezi Williams. At a time when venues are opening again, and music fans are once again experiencing live music, Dezi and his saxophone sounds a note of hope. Rated: B-plus Mar 25, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jonathan K The interactions feel sort of unnecessarily tense, like everyone’s carrying around some unsaid drama. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe part of the main character's energy is to make every conversation feel like that. I wanted to like this more. Honestly, I love the idea of it: the look, the vibe, the way it slides in and out of memory, and plays with the sense of time and place. The cinematography is really good. The sound is also very well done. But the ambiguity is doing the absolute most. A little mystery is great. But here it’s a puzzle with (too many) missing pieces. You’re supposed to surf this wave of flashbacks and temporal weirdness, but it’s hard when there’s no real anchor. I needed just a bit more to grab onto. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/31/25 Full Review Joe K Glacially slow pace, not a very interesting story,you could easily fast forward though big sections of this movie. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review tony h I found the movie very hard to follow. I don't know what it was about. I liked the music, but my wife thought it was boring. I can't recommend it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Learn To Swim

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Cast & Crew

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Thyrone Tommy

Director

Thomas Antony Olajide

Dezi

Emma Ferreira

Selma

Saida Ali

Dentist

Jolly Amoako

Charles

Andrea Davis

Sal

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Learn To Swim

Learn To Swim: Trailer 1 Learn To Swim: Trailer 1 1:35 View more videos
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Learn To Swim

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Movie Info

Synopsis Learn to Swim dives into the enchanting world of contemporary jazz with a musical meditation on love and loss, following the doggedly private and talented saxophone player Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide) and a vivacious, but less experienced singer named Selma (Emma Ferreira). When the two meet, sparks fly, but their respective emotional baggage and temperaments make the road to romance bumpy at best.
Director
Thyrone Tommy
Producer
Alona Metzer
Screenwriter
Thyrone Tommy, Marni Van Dyk
Production Co
Wildling Pictures, Leilani Films
Genre
Romance, Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2022
Runtime
1h 30m