Float (2023 film)

Float
Film poster
Directed bySherren Lee
Written byJesse LaVercombe
Sherren Lee
Based onFloat by Kate Marchant
Produced byRobbie Amell
Aaron Au
Jeff Chan
Jamie D. Greenberg
Matthew Kariatsumari
Aron Levitz
Chris Paré
Shawn Williamson
StarringAndrea Bang
Robbie Amell
CinematographyAlfonso Chin
Edited bySimone Smith
Music byDan Mangan
Jesse Zubot
Production
companies
Distributed byElevation Pictures
Lionsgate
Release date
  • September 30, 2023 (2023-09-30) (VIFF)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Float is a 2023 Canadian drama film, directed by Sherren Lee. The film stars Andrea Bang as Waverly, a young woman with a tense relationship with her parents who decides to spend the summer before starting university staying with her aunt in the coastal beach town of Holden, based on Tofino, where she is drawn into a romance with lifeguard Blake (Robbie Amell) when he gives her swimming lessons.[1]

The film was written by Lee and Jesse LaVercombe, as an adaptation of a Wattpad story by writer Kate Marchant.[2] The character of Waverly was not written as being of Asian ancestry in the original story, but Lee chose to write the film adaptation that way so that she could draw on some of her own cultural background.[1]

The film premiered at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival, and screened in the Canadian Narrative Competition at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.[3]

It went into commercial release on February 9, 2024.[4]

Cast

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  • Andrea Bang as Waverly Liu
  • Robbie Amell as Blake Hamilton
  • Michelle Krusiec as Rachel, Waverly's aunt
  • Andrew Bachelor as Jesse, Lena's twin brother
  • Rukiya Bernard as Lena
  • Ghazal Azarbad as Van, Lena's wife
  • Sarah Desjardins as Isabel Hamilton, Blake's sister
  • Fiona Fu as Mrs. Liu, Waverly's mom
  • Keong Sim as Mr. Liu, Waverly's dad
  • Tristan Arthurs as Ethan, Isabel's friend
  • Remy Marthaller as Little girl
  • Mirella Gibeau as Kristen, the swimming teacher
  • Haven Vivero as Little boy

Soundtrack

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No.TitleMusicPerformed byLength
1."Don't Waste Your Time"Dawn Pemberton 2:58
2."Sidecar"Robyn Dell'Unto, Adam King 3:24
3."In Our Hearts, We Shine Together, All Good Vibes"Rafy Levy 5'41
4."Come Back To Me (Fan Lai Ruan Shen Bian)"Hua Juang Shang, Wang Wu XiongPerformed by Jody Chiang 
5."Broke Boi Anthem"Kahdijah PaynePerformed by DijahSB3:54
6."Pump up The Jam"Manuela Kamosi, Thomas De QuinceyPerformed by Technotronic3:39
7."Lay Low"Dan Mangan, Ryan Guldmond 3:17
8."Four Chords"Dan Mangan, Andy Stochansky  

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.[5]

Richard Crouse gave the film three stars and wrote, "It's fitting, that given the setting of the film, that Float is the equivalent of a summer beach read. Despite some clunky, earnest dialogue—'I want to stay here with you but I want to be a doctor,' sounds like a rejected line from a Hallmark movie—the movie does what it set out to do, put a new spin on a classic genre."[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Rebecca Sun, "Lionsgate Boards Robbie Amell’s Wattpad Romance ‘Float’". The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Liza Sardi, "Lionsgate boards Robbie Amell-led Float". Playback, October 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Aryn Toombs, "Calgary International Film Festival adds new competition to 2023". LiveWire Calgary, August 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Ralph Lucas, "Canadians in Movies, Coming Soon". Northern Stars, January 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Float". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "FLOAT: 3 STARS. "the film equivalent of a summer beach read."". Richard Crouse. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
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