Swimming Pool
| Year: | 2003 |
| Director: | Francois Ozon |
| Cast: | Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance |
After a lot of media coverage, I finally saw this film on video about six months after the release, expecting big things.
It wasn't until after I'd seen it and read a few of the theories about it that the inexplicable parts made any sense to me. Looking for something new to write, Sarah (Rampling), makes up the entire episode of Julie, her antics, and the relationship that develops between them in order to write the story she has at the film's end.
That's not a spoiler, as I have no idea if it's the case, but it's all that explains the climax, where John's real daughter shows up at his office after Sarah's been to see him - and it's not the same girl we know as Julie.
Taking her publisher's advice, crime writer Sarah Morton borrows his house in northern France to escape London and get her creative juices flowing again. Everything goes swimmingly (no pun intended) until a gorgeous, impudent, disrespectful nymphette shows up claiming to be his daughter with permission to use the house on her own holiday.
Being a French movie, cue plenty of lingering shots of the semi (or completely) naked Julie (Sagnier) in all her tousled, just-slept or just-humped glory.
At first shocked and outraged, Sarah gradually starts to fall in with the girl until the last few scenes where they're something like friends, and secrets are revealed all round (to say nothing of the offhand murder that's committed).
There's enough to make you think, but not much worth all the fuss. Good performances, and if you're that bored, there's enough shots of the nude 18 year old blonde to keep you watching.
It wasn't until after I'd seen it and read a few of the theories about it that the inexplicable parts made any sense to me. Looking for something new to write, Sarah (Rampling), makes up the entire episode of Julie, her antics, and the relationship that develops between them in order to write the story she has at the film's end.
That's not a spoiler, as I have no idea if it's the case, but it's all that explains the climax, where John's real daughter shows up at his office after Sarah's been to see him - and it's not the same girl we know as Julie.
Taking her publisher's advice, crime writer Sarah Morton borrows his house in northern France to escape London and get her creative juices flowing again. Everything goes swimmingly (no pun intended) until a gorgeous, impudent, disrespectful nymphette shows up claiming to be his daughter with permission to use the house on her own holiday.
Being a French movie, cue plenty of lingering shots of the semi (or completely) naked Julie (Sagnier) in all her tousled, just-slept or just-humped glory.
At first shocked and outraged, Sarah gradually starts to fall in with the girl until the last few scenes where they're something like friends, and secrets are revealed all round (to say nothing of the offhand murder that's committed).
There's enough to make you think, but not much worth all the fuss. Good performances, and if you're that bored, there's enough shots of the nude 18 year old blonde to keep you watching.