Filmmaker Sam Hayes makes his feature directorial debut with Pools, a coming-of-age drama film following Kennedy (Odessa A’zion), a college sophomore teetering on academic collapse. Instead of buckling down, she leads a midnight pool-hopping escapade with her friends, played by Mason Gooding as Reed, Ariel Winter as Delaney, Michael Vlamis as the air-conditioning guy, Tyler Alvarez as Blake, Francesca Noel, and Suzanne Cryer among the ensemble.
Pools made its premiere at TIFF Next Wave, then screened at SXSW Sydney where it won the Audience Award. It will be released in US theaters – opening in Chicago at the Music Box on August 22, followed by New York’s Quad Cinema and L.A.’s NuArt on August 29, and rolling out nationwide on September 5, 2025.
Pools dives into the chaotic life of Kennedy, a rebellious college student who has one day to get her life together or face expulsion. Rather than conform, she recruits a misfit crew for a spontaneous night of pool hopping through the lavish backyards of her college town. What starts as an adrenaline-fueled escape turns into something deeper as Kennedy confronts grief, identity, and the lingering impact of her father’s death. It’s messy, it’s emotional, and it’s the ride of her life.
In an interview with Eye for Film, Sam Hayes reflects on the film’s tone, saying, “My impulse is to always be silly. If anything, I reined in some of the silliness in the edit to keep the tone intact, and to make sure that the silly moments are always adding to and are irreplaceable to the story.”
Watch the official trailer above.
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