I didn't like it because it seemed like it was too full of itself. I enjoyed some of the actors' portrayals and some moments elicited laughter, however for the most part it seemed a masturbatory affair about clichés regarding New York, musicians, artists, idealism = uselessness, young couples and their troubles, with some irreverent twee magic "surrealism" monologues which are actually the only good moments in the film. You will probably like this film if you wear no socks with shoes, have moustache wax, a collection of vintage cameras and/or a couple Belle & Sebastian albums. An utterly missable watch. I do wish a lot of young film makers would be more critical or aware of glaring and objectifying clichés running rampant throughout their work, rather than ham- fistedly wielding them like rubber chickens while flogging the movie-watching public with their excretions on cinema. The delineation between sincerity, sarcasm and irony is far too subtle and haphazard for my tastes. In the end they took my money, so I'm feeling a bit violated right now.

Leeward and Mary were already going through growing pains before Lilas enters their lives. With a young daughter whose name remains a subject of debate despite the fact she's four years old, their domestic arrangement is equally unsettled since Mary brings in the rent as a nurse while Leeward stays at home to work on his music, the convenience of raising their child gradually being outweighed in Mary's mind by her desire to buy a house in the suburbs. When Lilas arrives, fleeing her famous artist mother's reach to carve out a career for herself across the Atlantic, Leeward sees a kindred spirit and uses the inspiration to reinvigorate his flagging musical career.Swim Little Fish Swim is a beautiful comedy, charming and visually attractive but also a sweet romantic drama with a great soundtrack and solid performances!

I saw Swim Little Fish Swim at Créteil Film Festival last Tuesday. This is, for now, one of my favorite film or the year! This is a really cool, refreshing, exotic, funny and entertaining movie. The actors performances are always true and the whole movie is very realistic(which is increasingly rare in French films) The pace is well thought out, the scenario well-crafted and the visual style is beautiful, which is rare in low-budget films. But what impressed me the most are the music/soundtrack (the main character is a musician), very original and funny. I look forward to the release to watch it with my mother (64 years old) and my son (14 years) because it is a film multi-generational in many ways!

I saw Swim Little Fish Swim in a local festival. When I first looked at the rating on IMDb, it was 8.1 or something with 37 votes. I've decided that basically consisted of the actors and crew (with some of the crew perhaps abstaining since they have some integrity or taste).And why would a film that played Rotterdam have so few votes anyway? Don't misunderstand me. SLFS has its moments. Some of its satire of the New York arts scene is dead on. There's some interesting music. The acting (at least on the part of the 3-person family at center)is not bad. But most of the movie is, well, self-indulgent twaddle. As Variety correctly notes, there's "a certain tweeness" about this picture. The word "cloying" also comes up in the review. One Krispy Kreme donut may be a pleasure. Eating an entire box of them by yourself will make you sick. This film has the same effect and it lasts longer. I kept wanting to leave, but I stuck it out on cinephile principle. And it was painful. Hipster whimsy is one thing. Hipster whimsy with sprinkles and a sparkler on top is something else. I have a feeling that much of the twaddle and self-indulgence can be laid at the feet of Lola Bessis, who decided to cast herself as irritating gamine extraordinaire and had her SO, Ruben Amar, shoot her oh so lovingly and shoot the only mature character in the film, Mary, like a wizened shrew. S'il vous plait Lola, come on.