Swimming Pool Review
by Mark R. Leeper (markrleeper AT yahoo DOT com)July 29th, 2003
SWIMMING POOL
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: An Agatha-Christie-like mystery writer
accepts an invitation to spend time at her
publisher's villa in France. She did not expect
that she is to meet the publisher's sensual and
over-sexed daughter and she is to be plunged
into a psychological battle of wits. This is a
tricky story that will leave viewers with a lot
to talk about. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), high +1
(-4 to +4)
Sarah Morton (played by Charlotte Rampling) writes books about the exciting life of a Scotland Yard detective, but her own life is anything but exciting. She lives a quiet life taking care of her father. She shuns the praise of her fans, preferring a drab existence. When her publisher, John Bosload (Charles Dance), offers her the loan of his French villa she agrees, expecting to use it as a quiet place to work. She begins her stay living on a pallid diet featuring yogurt and diet Coke. Her quiet self-denial is interrupted by the arrival at the villa of Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), John's daughter. At first Sarah is not happy about the unexpected disturbance and distraction, and it only gets worse.
Julie lives a free and sensual lifestyle that initially, by example, tempts Sarah to give in to a little self-indulgence. But Sarah lets it go no further than eating a sinful dessert or two and enjoying herself by the pool a bit. But Julie does not stop with sinful desserts. She suns herself barebreasted and brings home a different man each night. Sarah looks on with a mixture of fascination and abhorrence and she even gives in to covert spying on Julie. This contrast of personality puts the two women in a collision course.
There are images in the film that Ozon seems to return repeatedly to. Repeatedly we see someone sleeping by the pool and in the background are the two legs of somebody standing over the sleeping body. Perhaps this is an image of two personality types, one relaxed and one very rigid. Sarah certainly seems to be a person who is wound very tightly. She is an insular woman who knows her responsibilities and woodenly goes through life making sure they are covered. She has little tolerance for the humanity of others and will snub her fans simply to avoid dealing with them. Julie is self-absorbed and gives in entirely to hedonism. One lives a life of responsibility and self-denial, the other irresponsible self-indulgence. Ozon keeps us wondering if Sarah is physically attracted to Julie or if she only wants the release of living vicariously through Julie's unrestrained and amoral life style.
SWIMMING POOL is something of a puzzle film directed and co- authored by tricky film director Francois Ozon. Some of its twists are easily predictable, some really startle, and some seem to make no sense. Much of what happens late in the film is open to interpretation. Even at the end the story leaves some questions and in fact no single explanation seems to fit all the facts. Certainly this is a film that will have people arguing about what the end really means and what has happened.
Rampling is a good choice for Sarah. She has intelligent eyes that are at the same time inscrutable. This is a film that will have the viewer wondering just what really was going on behind those eyes. I rate SWIMMING POOL a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
[email protected]
Copyright 2003 Mark R. Leeper
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
