01
THE FILM
THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BACKYARD POOL INDUSTRY
TAGLINE
FAMILY COMES AT A PRICE.
LOGLINE
Forced to shut down their pool because of a costly repair, the Osgood family is visited by a nocturnal stranger who convinces them to take one last plunge.
SYNOPSIS
The Osgoods’ pool used to be the epicenter of fun, but a costly repair has forced them to shut it down, further splintering the family. However, when a strange visitor named Willy Chamieux convinces them to take one last plunge, their suburban oasis is given a new lease on life. Now faced with a dilemma over the repair, they must decide the fate of both the family and the pool, for one cannot survive without the other.
03
Director's Statement
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry is the latest evolution of my longstanding collaboration with The Minor Prophets, a comedy troupe from Philadelphia and close creative partners I have been making films with for nearly two decades. This marks our tenth project together and represents a clear shift in tone and style from our previous film Viaticum.
While Viaticum was intentionally tight, claustrophobic, and restrained, filmed largely in dim interiors with static and locked-off compositions, The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry is about letting in air both literally and metaphorically.
Thematically, the film explores the strange rituals of suburban life through the lens of middle-aged masculinity, competitiveness, and quiet desperation, but always with a sense of affection. There is comedy throughout, but also an undercurrent of melancholy. It is a story about men trying to stay afloat not just in a backyard pool, but in their lives, their careers, their relationships, and their sense of relevance.
In crafting The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry, I drew significant inspiration from the films of Federico Fellini. Much like Fellini, I wanted to transform an ordinary, everyday setting into a space where reality and gentle fantasy intertwine. In that sense, the film is a modern, heartfelt nod to Fellini’s tradition of blurring the line between the real and the dreamlike to reveal deeper truths about our lives.
The Minor Prophets and I have always gravitated toward stories that find something profound in the everyday. The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry is no exception. This time, we are launching off the diving board, lighter in tone and splashier in style, but still making waves that ripple into deeper emotional waters.
02
The Making of the Film
With a completed script, pre-production began in May 2025, the team planning carefully for the unique demands and logistics of shooting in and around a backyard pool. Filming took place over four days in August, split between two dry daytime shoots and two water soaked nights within the pool.
Filming after dark in water presented challenges for photography, lighting, and choreography, and the team planned accordingly. That preparation paid off, with the late-night shoots shaping the film’s atmosphere and giving the pool sequences a surreal quality. During the daytime, the location presented a different challenge, sitting directly beneath the flight path of Philadelphia International Airport. Instead of fighting the constant overhead traffic, the team embraced it and incorporated it into the storytelling.
Music also played a key role, with carefully crafted songs and score choices helping define the film’s shifting moods and heightened sense of play. Editing and post-production ran from September through December, refining the film’s blend of humor, dreamlike energy, and suburban strangeness.