Offbeat parable of self-discovery on the collapse of the “American dream”
A somewhat confused man in swimming trunks (Burt Lancaster) travels from pool to pool in suburban Connecticut on his way home. Some of the people he comes across are played by Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Joan Rivers and Diana Muldaur, amongst several others. 
"The Swimmer" (1968) is a semi-surreal commentary on mid-60’s America and the emptiness of materialism, as well as self-destruction. The fact that Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is almost naked throughout the film tells all. But the revelations are lowkey; you have to put the pieces together. I liked the insights on the folly of compulsiveness, whether social, youth-obsession, sexual or self-delusion. It’s an immersion into a struggling man’s soul.
The allegory offers additional insights about the people we cross paths with in life. Friends might, more accurately, be casual acquaintances. Those whom you least suspect might be your biggest fans, at least in their memories. How did you treat others when you were on top? Who’s there for you when you’re no longer on top?
It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot entirely in southwest Connecticut (Weston, Wilton, Westport, Stamford and Fairfield).
GRADE: B