Backstroke (2017) User Reviews

She caught his eye

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 10 March 2021]

"Backstroke" is an American live action short film from 2017, so this one will have its fifth anniversary next year or maybe it happened already depending on when you come across this review of mine. I watched the upload on Youtube and there this film has scored millions and millions of views although it was upload in 2019, but still a huge success. the writer and director here is Robbie Barclay and this is still his most recent release, his third of three short films. I hope he can release something new eventually, I think he did fine here, also with the camera work. Not too much to say about the cast here really. The woman you see on the photo here is Josefine Christoffersen or her character I should say maybe. She is even the least prolific from all the cast members, which surprised me a bit, basically the same level like the director. Even the woman whose voice you hear early on has been in a lot more as of now. Then again, age palys a role as well. I think Christoffersen did fine here. Would be nice if she got cast again in something. However, it's okay this way too. At least, she was seen by really many in here.

I enjoyed the watch all in all. I don't think it was great and the first five minutes could have been better as the gun action did nothing for me and if there is anything that did, then it was the aforementioned voice message that tells us the girl is a runaway, but also creates some nicely threatening atmosphere. Then it stays fairly forgettable as I just said, but once the girl is in the water and the scary guy (actually fairly handsome though) shows up and talks to her, walks a bit with her, it gets better and more tense again. Simply the more interesting male actor. Or the one with better material, but I like the approach he gave it. Also when he is gone all of a sudden. I kinda expected him to be in the water too and catch her, but maybe that would have been too obvious and violent as well. This is more about the quietly threatining component. Besides, the way it ends is much more focused and determined from the bad guy here than getting himself all wet and maybe getting at least slightly injured by her. How he said that the friend will not come because he is dead was a nice quote as well. The ending with him being in the car apparently makes sense too. He said early on during their talk that he knew about their car and of course she would run there, maybe not necessarily immediately, but he'll take it. So overall this was a decent little movie. Good job by everybody involved and I recommend checking it out, especially if you like horror films. Thumbs-up.

Just keep swimming.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 25 May 2023]

'Backstroke (2017)' is a short horror film about a pair of teenage runaways who take respite near a lake on their way to Florida. One of them decides it's a good idea to go skinny dipping, leaving her friend to take a solitary swim surrounded by nothing but forest... and an ominous stranger watching her from the shore. Although the piece starts off a bit wobbly, mainly thanks to its generally flat acting and its unremarkable screenplay, it eventually settles into itself (the writing and performances both improve over time) and becomes genuine tense throughout its back half. It leaves you anticipating its final reveal, which is often what determines the success of these sorts of movies, but it subverts expectation slightly so that it never feels especially predictable. It's simple but effective, with the ominous observer pretty much nailing that 'nice yet creepy' vibe that many serial killers seem to have. The back half of this is really great. Even though the ending is perhaps a little underwhelming and the opening isn't as effective as the rest of the piece, it's an entertaining and suspenseful horror short that does exactly what it needs to.

Bone chilling

[ashimhbvsj · 8/10 · 21 October 2020]

I wish it was not a short movie. Enjoyed watching this.

Backstroke is Creepy and Suspenseful

[panagiotis1993 · 8/10 · 6 December 2022]

Wow, this was good. The concept is simple but the execution was exceptional. So we have Amber and Jake driving to Florida but at some point they stop at a wooded area. It all seems to be fun and innocent but later when Amber decides to take her clothes off and go inside a nearby lake things take a dramatic turn. At some point a creepy man approaches Amber while she is still in the water, he starts talking to her and asking questions. Soon Amber realizes that this man has no good intentions. Amber is worried about Jake and the man says that Jake is dead. The man left and Amber thought that the whole thing was over but in the end we see Amber driving her car and calling Jake and we see the man's hand reaching Amber from behind and then it ends. So i imagine the man was actually able to hurt Amber too and not just Jake. The use of music was great, the performances very convincing, the atmosphere tense and the whole film makes you anxious about what will happen next. Very solid short film, my rating is 8/10.

young people' s story

[Kirpianuscus · 24 August 2019]

One of stories about young people and their not wise decisions, a good dialogue and beautiful cinematography. A girl, her boyfriend, a stolen car , a forest, a gun, a stranger and a warning. And that is all.