Sports documentaries usually follow either an individual athlete or a whole team over a full season. The Water is My Sky tinkers with this formula a bit. It instead follows three different athletes in different parts of their respective careers. The film succeeds via this formula, giving viewers different perspectives to great effect.
As the title suggests, the film is about elite-level swimming. Filmmakers Brian Tremml and Tommy Haines depict the lives of past Olympian Tom Wilkens, active professional Connor Jaeger, and high school hopeful, Taylor Garcia. Tremml’s decision to include all three is brilliant, as it demonstrates the insane difficulty of reaching the Olympics. Garcia, who has yet to reach the same level as Wilkens and Jaeger, is an intriguing figure in all this. His journey illustrates that, no matter how hard you work, you may not even reach your dream at all.
The film uses race footage and voiceovers (including the immortal Rowdy Gaines) to great effect to illustrate the frenetic pace of Olympic swimming, where even a tenth of a second may mean the difference between silver and gold. A highlight of the film is the 2014 Santa Grand Prix, one of the first races Jaeger competed in after going pro as a swimmer. The documentary, whether focusing on the legendary Wilkens or the up-and-coming Garcia and Jaeger, illustrates the solitary nature of swimming, and how each of these three give it their all no matter what. Aud, C, P.
Included in our list of Best Documentaries 2021.
