Fred’s No
Clue Movie Review
"The
Swimming Pool"
Directed by Francois Ozon
I
wasn’t sure what to expect from this film, I hadn’t heard much about it. I was
craving something different though. I was growing a little tired of the loud
bombastic films of this summer. I love those movies, but I needed to see
something different. So I went to see The Swimming Pool.
I must say that I was
pleasantly surprised. Francois Ozon delivers a very quiet and sexy film. I was
really unsettled at times at just how quiet the movie was. The characters are
just going about their business and living in the moment. It was a refreshing
tale. The characters were well thought out and the premise was essentially
simple.
A crime fiction writer
Sarah Morton, played by Charlotte Rampling, needs to focus on her new book and
get away for a while. Her editor, John Bosload, played by Charles Dance, tells
her to go to his house in France. She takes him up on the offer and all is going
well, until John’s spoiled brat of a daughter Julie shows up, played by Ludivine
Sagnier, and Sarah doesn’t exactly agree with her lifestyle. She’s basically a
party girl, who sleeps around a lot. But that’s where the simplicity ends. Julie
is embroiled with so many men, and just as Julie and Sarah begin to get along, a
murder occurs that turns their lives upside down. Or is it the movie turning the
viewer upside down? You’re left wondering what exactly happened, and if this was
all just another creation from Sarah’s mind.
The movie just oozes sexuality, unlike many Hollywood films. Julie goes topless
often, and her very essence is sexual. Which is in stark contrast to the uptight
repressed Sarah. Julie even accuses Sarah at one point, of being afraid to do
all the things that she imagines. The movie spirals in the end to an
unsuspecting conclusion that you really don’t see coming.
I highly recommend this film if you’re in the mood for something a bit
different. Be warned though. You’ve really got to pay attention to the movie. I
even felt a little bit unsatisfied in the end, when I felt like I didn’t
understand the movie. As a viewer though, I felt more fulfilled as time went on
and the ideas of the movie were still percolating in my mind. Go see it and let
me know what you think.
For more information
visit
http://www.focusfeatures.com
Got comments?
Suggestions? I’d love to hear them.
email me at
no.clue@indenation.com
come back soon, until then, i’ll be at the movies…