Film Review: Swimming Pool

Running Time: 103 min

Released: 2003

Main Actors: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier

Writer/Director: François Ozon

Crime fiction and mysteries are not usually my preferred genre; I became tired of the formula driven who-dun-it mysteries years ago. 'Swimming Pool' breaks the mould somewhat. Set in Vaucluse, France, 'Swimming Pool' portrays the struggle of a dowdy and uptight British crime novelist Sarah, played by Charlotte Rampling, to regain her inspiration to write. In need of a renewal of energy for her next book she moves into her publisher's villa in Vaucluse with the expectation of solitude in beautiful surroundings.

However that solitude is short-lived, interrupted by the sudden arrival of Julie, played by Ludivine Sagnier, the daughter of her publisher. Julie, uninhibited and beautiful, is everything Sarah is not, and whose intrusion presents an unwelcome distraction to Sarah both personally and professionally. Suddenly the house is in disarray and Sarah is confronted by Julie's persistent nudity, disrespect for any rules and overt sexual behaviour. Despite a few attempts by Sarah to find some level of compromise, Julie is unrelenting.

Julie has an air of mystery about her and the more detail Sarah discovers about her the deeper the mystery of her life becomes. She is by far the most interesting character in the film and almost has a hypnotic effect. Initially I felt irritated by her presence reflecting my empathy for Sarah. However somewhere toward the 50 minute mark I found my empathy changing to favour Julie when Sarah's uptight behaviour became the irritation.

Eventually Sarah's disapproval turns to intense, even slightly perverse, interest as she turns the situation to her advantage by using Julie as a subject for her writing. Soon Sarah also seems to acquire some of Julie's characteristics as both characters evolve and move towards a darker and deeper common ground.

The way the plot develops is intriguing in its detail and there is an unexpected event in the final scene forcing us to revise our interpretation of the story. In a way I found the eventuality to be a slight letdown and felt a little cheated by it. In short, the ending could have been better since it definitely does not do justice to the intriguing storyline.

However if you want a film that encourages social dialogue rather than just a piece of entertainment then this film is worth watching. It delivers well on the subliminal aspects of human relationships. Conversely, if you want a great crime mystery then there are probably more satisfying films in that genre.