Critical reception for
The Midnight Swim was positive, with much of the film's praise centering on the performances and the "acutely unsettling" tone of the film.
Indiewire praised these elements, calling the film "enigmatic and fathomless," and stating that the film "is, among other things, a movie about sisters, who actually seem like sisters. They look alike, they sound alike, they move alike enough to seem like sibs. One is a believer, one is a cynic; one is, at least on the surface, slightly unstable. They may be variations on a single genetic theme, but even their differences speak to kinship."
Twitch Film and
Film School Rejects also wrote positive reviews, with Film School Rejects commenting that although they saw the found footage format as a "constant distraction" the film was overall well acted and praised the film's imagery.
Fangoria commented that the found footage format was integral to the story and something more akin to an emotional POV, stating that "the camera uniquely acts as an almost-transparent bridge between you and a character's psyche." Ion Cinema states that "the unnerving quality of Sarah Adina Smith's directorial debut occurs mostly in its aftereffects, leaving us with the profound, less earthbound implications in its final few moments." ==Release==