I can't say the movie is bad. He is one of those people who say “nothing.” It does not cause interest or irritation, empathy for the heroes or disgust for them. He just isn't. And really nothing.
The plot with some semblance of structure in it, of course, there is – the guy wants to find a job. Tries here, tries there, and finds the spoiler. Looking at it is not interesting, it is like looking out the window in the early morning when there is no one there and nothing is happening. There are very few events in it - and perhaps it would be better to put them in a short film. Sometimes there are funny situations or characters in the plot – like “peckers of the road”, for example, or a couple of pestilent man and bucket man. But they are diluted with a huge number of empty aimless events and actions. There are no plot twists in the film, especially difficult obstacles in the way of the hero, too. There is no such thing as a hero.
The main character looks like a useless dummy - a person without a goal and without talents, not really wanting to find a job or anything else, not able to speak coherently and all so truthful and honest (as one scene demonstrates). It can be easily replaced by an adult man, an old man, a homeless person or a schoolboy - the plot of the film will not change. The hero does not affect him at all - he just swims like a dead fish down the stream.
Defenders of the film, if any, can exclaim that this film is made for the atmosphere, not for the plot, characters, satire and telling a good fascinating story. And there is some truth to this claim. Sometimes something atmospheric flashes in the film - a crowd of money going to work, colorful secondary characters, memorable shots. However, these are again disparate images.
The film does not have a story that would link together images, satire, atmospheric scenes that would capture the viewer, would make him penetrate. And this is sad, because cinema is not atmospheric images and deep thoughts about the fate of Russia, but history. A story that is told through these images, and that may contain these thoughts. Without history, a film is a meaningless set of frames. And in Free Swimming, history is the weakest point.
3 out of 10
Original