Lifetime Review: 'Swim Instructor Nightmare'

Synopsis:

After a traumatizing accident caused by her mother's alcoholism, 10-year-old Ashley Scott (Kiarra Beasley) is terrified of water and her father Parker (CJ Hammond) turns to hiring a swim instructor to help his daughter heal. The instructor in question is Sabrina Jameson (Sydney Hamm), a lovely young woman training for the Summer Games. Ashley quickly takes a liking to Sabrina, as does Parker--so much so that he and Sabrina share a brief kiss. Immediately afterward, though, Parker tells Sabrina that he's still devoted to his wife Ellen (Shellie Sterling) and asks her to keep the kiss between them. While Sabrina agrees, the truth is she's far from willing to let Parker go. She's convinced he's the love of her life...and is willing to get more blood on her hands to finally have the soulmate she's been longing for.

Story:

It's a classic tale of a woman obsessed with a married man, but with an aquatic twist. While you've certainly seen this story before, director Doug Campbell keeps Swim Instructor Nightmare fun by playing up the drama for all its worth. Through intense music and camerawork, Campbell makes it easy to get caught up in the insane lengths Sabrina is willing to go to in order to have Parker. The pace flows as smoothly as an ocean wave, letting the viewer get a feel for the characters while keeping the action from growing stagnant. While it's fun to watch Sabrina at work killing and sabotaging her way to her happily ever after, you'll also feel bad for the family she's wrecking in the process. So like many good Lifetime movies, there's an equal balance of delectable chaos and genuine heart.

Characters:

Swim Instructor Nightmare is also like many good Lifetime movies in how it's helmed by a phenomenal villain. Whether she's bonding with Ashley or charming Parker and Ellen, Sabrina effectively keeps her instability hidden. But when faced with someone who threatens to ruin her plans, the mask comes off and Sabrina's razor teeth come out. Some of these vicious moments, however, allude to the damage that Sabrina's past has done to her. Between her abandonment issues and losing her chance to be a pro swimmer, Sabrina is desperate to be loved and accepted. If she weren't trying to break up a family to get what she wanted, you might feel a little sorry for her. The one downside to Sabrina's characterization is that her bitterness over failing to make it to the big leagues could've been integrated into her character more than it was. It would've added something fresh to her oft-seen Fatal Attraction-esque motivation.

Of the Scott family, Parker stands at the shallow end of the characterization pool. He's far from irredeemable, as he's shown to be a loving father and an overall good person. But in addition to having the flattest personality of his family, some of Parker's actions make it a little hard to root for him. SPOILER ALERT While it makes sense for Parker's trust in Ellen to be precarious after her alcoholism almost killed their daughter, the fact that he spends the last act of the movie cheating on her goes unaddressed. Ellen never finds out about Sabrina and Parker's kiss or the tryst they had after she was sent back to rehab. The final scene of the Scott family having fun in their pool is a sweet conclusion, but it comes at the cost of Parker seemingly facing no consequences for his dalliance. The climax also sees Parker make an incredibly dense decision. Right after being informed about Sabrina's lies and history of trying to kill men who reject her, what does Parker do? Confront Sabrina while he's on his own and reject her before turning his back on her. Spoilers Over

Ellen and Ashley fare much better than their respective husband and father. The latter is an adorable little girl who just wants her family to be together again while the former is a woman determined to conquer her vices so she can be the wife and mother her family deserves. As such, seeing the two suffer (directly or otherwise) because of Sabrina's obsession is upsetting to watch.

Acting:

It's an all-around stellar cast, including debut actress Sydney Hamm. While Swim Instructor Nightmare may be her first film, Hamm gives a performance that would make you think she was a Lifetime movie regular. She makes Sabrina an authentically deceptive psychopath, delivering the scenes where her character is cozying up to the Scotts with warm sincerity. They might even make you wish Sabrina would give up her delusional plan and just find the happiness she seeks in being Ashley's swimming teacher and Parker and Ellen's friend. But of course, she doesn't, which leads to the moments where Hamm truly shines. She dives headfirst into Sabrina's deranged rantings and ramblings, making her as entertainingly psychotic as she is somewhat pitiable. Hamm works with her character's dialogue to make you see/hear just how much the loss of her father has affected her.

Despite his imperfect character, CJ Hammond gives a likable performance when Parker is at his best, allowing you to see that (despite his faults) he really does love his family and would do anything to protect his little girl. Kiarra Beasley and Shellie Sterling, meanwhile, do amazing work making you love Ashley and Ellen. They're also sure to have your heart aching as Ellen and Ashley's lives are turned upside down by a woman they'd come to trust. It's even more tragic in Ashley's case, seeing as how the young girl comes to idolize Sabrina as a role model and big sister figure.

Overall:

If you like your Lifetime movies with a healthy dash of histrionic drama, Swim Instructor Nightmare has just that. Not only does Doug Campbell add aesthetic touches to keep the film's energy levels up, but the story moves at a steady speed that keeps its stamina alive. The protagonists will have your sympathy while the villainess will have you watching in awe as she resorts to all kinds of twisted measures to get what she wants. So as long as you're not aquaphobic or in the midst of training for the Olympics Summer Games yourself, Swim Instructor Nightmare is an ideal movie to watch over a box of cookies and a bottle of Gatorade.

Score: 8 out of 10 floral bathing suits.