The Swimsuit Issue

"Allt flyter" is a Swedish comedy (with English captions) about growing up. We see what has become today's stereotypical group of quasi-adult men, playing an interesting game of what appears to be "Floor Hockey." They compete for gym time with others in their small community and, through a series of events, end up using the swimming pool instead of the gym. As a lark, they pretend to be synchronized swimmers. They make a gag video of their hi-jinks and are hired to entertain a party of wealthy folks.

One thing leads to another and they start to take themselves seriously. The titular leader of this group is an immature divorced father of a teenage girl. His ex gets an opportunity to work as an actress in London but needs time to set up her apartment before sending for their daughter. Our hero absolutely does NOT want to take on any parental responsibility, but when the ex offers to help offset his expenses, he reluctantly agrees (he has just lost his job).

Father and daughter go through a period of adjustment after which, because she is a synchronized swimmer for the local team (the literal translation of the Swedish title is "Everything Floats"), Dad cooks up the idea to have his gang compete at an international synchronized swim meet. Their chances are pretty good, as there aren't many male teams; so with that in mind, they start rehearsals with the teenaged daughter as their coach.

This is one of those mini-dramas that the Scandinavians do so well. I enjoyed this SIFF selection and think you will, too. By the way, some of the team members look much better in swim trunks than others. After you take a gander, you'll know exactly what I mean...smile...