Pools (film)

Pools
Directed bySam Hayes
Written bySam Hayes
Produced by
  • Sam Hayes
  • Jack Heston
  • Seth Savoy
  • Adonis Tountas
  • Mike D. Ware
Starring
CinematographyBen Hardwicke
Edited byTucker Marolf
Music byCody Fry
Production
company
Paesanos Pictures
Distributed byCircle Collectives
Release dates
  • April 12, 2025 (2025-04-12) (TIFF)[1][2]
  • September 5, 2025 (2025-09-05) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$53,478[3][4]

Pools is a 2025 American coming of age film directed by Sam Hayes in his debut feature film.[5][6] The film stars Odessa A'zion, Ariel Winter, Tyler Alvarez, Michael Vlamis, Francesca Noel and Suzanne Cryer.[7] The film has received mixed reviews.[8][9]

Cast

Production

First titled Pools at Night, it was set in and filmed in the Green Bay Road Historic District, Lake Forest, Illinois.[10][11][12][13][14]

The narrator role and cardboard cutout began as Mike Ditka, later changed.[10]

The movies that most inspired this one are The Graduate, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Breakfast Club. Ladybird too.[10] - Sam Hayes

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pools - Sam Hayes". tiff.net. 2024.
  2. ^ "TIFF Next Wave Film Festival returns to Lightbox April 10–13 celebrating the next generation of filmmakers and cinephiles". tiff.net.
  3. ^ "Pools". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  4. ^ "Pools (2025) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt. "WME Signs 'Pools' Filmmaker Sam Hayes". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  6. ^ Gray, Peter. "Pools displays surface-level confidence as a journey of self discovery: SXSW Sydney Screens Film Festival Review". The AU Review. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  7. ^ Grobar, Matt. "Utopia's Circle Collective Acquires Coming-Of-Age Indie 'Pools' Starring Odessa A'zion". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  8. ^ Daniels, Robert. "Pools movie review & film summary (2025)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  9. ^ Yu, Brandon. "'Pools' Review: Wading Through Grief". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Hayes, Sam. "Hi /r/movies! I'm Sam Hayes, the director of POOLS, a vibrant and emotional coming-of-age film hitting theaters today (August 29th)! It stars Odessa A'zion, Mason Gooding, and Ariel Winter. Ask me anything!". Reddit. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  11. ^ Lake Forest Preservation Foundation. "Our Small Town is hitting the Big Screen - check out 'Pools' written/directed by Sam Hayes" – via facebook.com. David Adler's "Innisfail II"...built for the Cudahy family (Joseph Cudahy and Jean Morton), and later owned by Philip D. Armour III....Pembroke Lodge by Henry Ives Cobb...for David Benton Jones
  12. ^ "About Us". Lake Forest Preservation Foundation. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Innisfail II: The Cudahy Estate on Green Bay Road". Lake Forest-Lake Bluff History Museum.
  14. ^ "Pembroke Lodge". History Center of Lake Forest - Lake Bluff - CatalogIt HUB. Retrieved November 23, 2025.