Based off a Guardian Article about the real-life experience of writer/director/journalist Dave Schilling.

I grew up in Merced, California — the son of a social worker mother and a career Air Force father. As a biracial kid in a small town, I never quite knew where I fit in. I moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and became a professional writer. My goal was always to express my desire for connection and belonging through my art. 

"Can't Float" was based on an article I wrote for The Guardian in 2016 about learning how to swim as a grown man and a person of color. It's a summation of many of the themes I've been grappling with as a writer for most of my career. Being half-Black, half-white has left me in an awkward middle ground in the American cultural divide. My life has been ruled by fear or alienation at various points. I've longed to fit in somewhere, to not be defined by stereotypes like the ones articulated in my film. In order to learn how to swim, one has to let go of fear and anxiety and believe in oneself. The journey of the protagonist in "Can't Float" is all about finding self-belief, and the power to trust yourself and others.