Swimming Upstream (2003) on Netflix

Plot summary

Harold Fingleton is a dock worker in Brisbane whose job lasts only while ships are in port, and his alcoholism keeps the family short of money. He is physically and emotionally abusive, most often toward his son Tony and his wife Dora, and her efforts to shield Tony only anger him further. Tony is the second of five children, and each of the children looks after himself or herself, sometimes at the cost of harmony with the others; the four youngest find comfort at the local pool. Once Harold sees how well Tony and John swim, he takes over their training, and Tony's efforts never satisfy him. Tony wants his father to be proud of him, and he also sees swimming as a way out of poverty.