Swimming Pool (2003)

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 | Night | Countryside

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:

Revealing mistakes: When Sarah is shown typing at her laptop, she is clearly pressing the keys at random and sometimes several at once.

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:

Water Sprite

An Excellent Idea Wasted In a Very Disappointing Conclusion

In London, the successful and weird middle-age writer of police and mystery novels Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is passing through a phase of lack of inspiration. Her publisher John Bosload (Charles Dance) invites her to spend some summertime days in his house in a small town in France, where there is inclusive a swimming pool. He also suggests her to make the experience of writing about a different theme. Sarah accepts the invitation and travels to the wonderful and lonely place. A few days later, she starts writing again, but her quiet rest is shaken with the unexpected arrival of Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), the sexy daughter of John. From that moment on, reality and dream blends in Sarah's world. I did not dislike this movie, but I believe it is indeed an excellent idea, wasted in a very disappointing conclusion. There are many unexplained subplots and the story is completely open to the most different interpretations, and of course I have mine. But without reading any information or clue from the writer and director François Ozon about his real intention, it is impossible to give a precise clarification. Europeans usually like this type of story, but in this situation, the film does not give necessary hints about the real intention of the plot, and the viewer can speculate only. Charlotte Rampling has a magnificent interpretation, Ludivine Sagnier has a very erotic performance, but to become an excellent film, many clarifications are missing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Swimming Pool: À Beira da Piscina' (`Swimming Pool: On the Edge of the Swimming Pool')