Swimming Pool (2003)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon (screenplay)
Emmanuèle Bernheim (writer)

Release Date:

21 May 2003 (Belgium)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Dive into this summer's sexiest mystery

Plot:

A British mystery author visits her publisher's home in the South of France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter sets off some touchy dynamics.

Plot Keywords:

Publisher | France | French | Countryside | Swimming Pool

Awards:

2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Charlotte Rampling	...	Sarah Morton
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Julie
Charles Dance	...	John Bosload
Jean-Marie Lamour	...	Franck
Marc Fayolle	...	Marcel
Mireille Mossé	...	Marcel's Daughter
Michel Fau	...	First Man
Jean-Claude Lecas	...	Second Man
Emilie Gavois-Kahn	...	Waitress at Cafe (as Emilie Gavois Kahn)
Erarde Forestali	...	Old Man
Lauren Farrow	...	Julia
Sebastian Harcombe	...	Terry Long
Frances Cuka	...	Lady on the Underground
Keith Yeates	...	Sarah's Father
Tricia Aileen	...	John Bosload's Secretary

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Canada:A (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB (re-rating) | Hong Kong:III (original rating) | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) (edited version) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (cut)

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Fidélité Productions

Trivia:

Charlotte Rampling's character Sarah is named after her sister, who killed herself at age 23. She told The Guardian, "I thought that after such a very long time of not letting her be with me that I would like to bring her back into my life."

Goofs:

Continuity: The London Tube in the beginning scenes of the movie shows the exterior of a 1996 stock Northern Line Train, but interior of a 1972 stock with a visible "Central Line" maps over the windows.

Quotes:

Sarah Morton: I pity your mother.
Julie: You pity her? Why?
Sarah Morton: Well, I imagine having a daughter who comes home with a different man every night must be difficult for a mother.
Julie: Well, you imagine wrong. You know what? You're just a frustrated Englishwoman who writes about dirty things but never does them. You can shove your uptight morals up your ass!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Semi-Pro (2008)

Soundtrack:

Mirror Ball ('Let's do it')

Anything but dull

Swimming Pool is a first rate film from French genius François Ozon. This thriller makes best use of everything that makes cinema great, and it is therefore a delight to view. Swimming Pool follows Sarah Morton, a British author that travels to her publisher's dream home in France in order to have a rest while she works on her new book. However, her tranquillity is soon disturbed when her publisher's daughter; a sex-crazed, good time girl, turns up out of the blue and turns Morton's rest into something quite different. One criticism that could be, and has been, made of this film is that not a lot a lot happens. That, however, depends on your viewpoint; the action is stretched, but the relaxed tone of the film blends magnificently with the beautiful French scenery, and Ozon's attention to detail with the characters ensures that, although slow, Swimming Pool never descends into boredom and there's always something on offer for it's audience to enjoy. I, personally, was completely entranced from start to finish.

The casting of Charlotte Rampling as the uptight British novelist really was an inspired move. She's absolutely brilliant in the role, and you can't imagine anyone else playing that character to such a degree. Speaking of great casting choices, Ludivine Sagnier is similarly brilliant as Rampling's sexy co-star. She brings just the right amount of insecurity and lustfulness to her role, and it's not hard to see why Ozon continues to cast her in his movies. The film is very melodramatic, but never overacted; and this is a testament to the quality of acting on display. Swimming Pool benefits implicitly from a haunting soundtrack, which perfectly accents the happenings on screen, and certain points in the movie where the soundtrack is used are truly electrifying. François Ozon is truly one of cinema's greatest assets at the moment. This is only my second taste of his work (the hilariously fabulous 'Sitcom' being the other), and if his backlog and future releases match the quality of the two films I've seen from him so far; he may well become one of cinema's all time greats.