Movie Description
In Francois Ozon's SWIMMING POOL, Charlotte Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a prim and proper British author who has written a successful series of mystery-crime novels. However, when she visits her London publisher (Charles Dance) in a dour mood, wearing a depressive pout, and complains that she's no longer his favorite, he invites her to use his vacation home in the south of France as a tranquil escape to try her hand at writing something different. Once there, Sarah receives an unexpected and highly unwelcome visit from his bold, sexy, confrontational teenage daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). The two are instantly at odds with each other, as Julie drinks, smokes, and slinks around the pool topless. Her loose sexual mores and mysterious late nights infuriate Sarah, whose puritanical unease is only exacerbated in Julie's presence. Wonderful scenes of Sarah writing at her computer, her lips twitching wickedly with twisted inspiration, indicate that the story is about to take a turn for the weird. And that it does, quickly, as booze-clouded activities by the swimming pool become dark and seedy.
In this immaculate thriller, Rampling and Sagnier ignite the screen with static tension. Stunted conversations, resentful glances, and strange insights about the personality of each character give the story a tangible electricity. The idyllic vacation home and sun-drenched swimming pool put an ironic spin on the haunting story. And as Ozon works his magic with pensive camerawork, providing moments of true visual comedy that only enhance the plot's intrigue, viewers will delight in what is at once an understated yet powerful narrative feat.
| Credits | | Cast: | Jean-Marie Lamour, Michel Fau, Mireille Mosse |
| Details | | Edition: | Unrated Edition | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound |
Notes
Theatrical Release: July 2, 2003 (NY/LA)
Editorial Reviews
"...It's worth seeing twice just for the privilege of watching Rampling and Sagnier match each other stroke for stroke..."
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (07/01/2003)
"...The narrative logic of SWIMMING POOL slips through our hands like cool water, shimmery and light-dappled, leaving behind the pleasures of summer heat and goose bumps..."
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (07/11/2003)
"...It's Sagnier, a young Bardot, who lifts the movie, and Rampling, 58, who gives it nuance..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (07/24/2003)
"...As the story takes shape, Mr. Ozon, Ms. Rampling and Ms. Sagnier complicate it in subtle and fascinating ways....Simultaneously a thoroughly mannered, mischievously artificial confection and an acute piece of psychological realism..."
New York Times - A. O. Scott (07/02/2003)
"With a little sex, some mystery, an appealing lead and a little sex, France's SWIMMING POOL has what it takes to become an art house audience magnet..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (07/03/2003)
"...Rampling doesn't skip a beat. Freed from the burden of likability, the actress pushes the character from near-farce to near-tragedy without once appealing to sentimentalism..."
Los Angeles Times - Manohla Dargis (07/02/2003)
"...A sensuous and deceptive new thriller..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (07/02/2003)
"...An entertaining drama, showcasing strong performances from both actresses..."
Box Office - Mary Colbert (09/01/2003)
"...The film is ripe with allusions....The ambiguities intensify the picture's hothouse atmosphere, making it all the more impressive that Ozon maintains such a consistently cool touch..."
Sight and Sound - Ryan Gilbey (10/01/2003)
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63BvfpBLGq8bLorw~~_7.JPG "Swimming Pool (VHS, 2004, Unrated Edition)")
63BvfpBLGq8bLorw~~_32.JPG "Swimming Pool (VHS, 2004, Unrated Edition)")
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