|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 1 |
 |
Enter this Pool at your own risk
MIKE NUGENT
STAFF WRITER
Francois Ozon's "Swimming Pool", following in the tradition of some of his earlier, greater films like "8 Women", weaves a mystery story into a psychological tale of intrigue. However, Ozon's lofty goals never really take flight in a movie with nearly no forward momentum and characters too underdeveloped to keep the movie interesting.
Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is a successful writer
of a series of cheap mystery novels in England, but has lately been feeling
old and uninspired. So her publisher John invites her to use his French
villa to relax and regain some of her creativity. Sarah takes him up on
the offer and heads off to France.
Once there, Sarah eagerly begins to write, enjoying the
silence and the luxuries of her new home. That is until Julie (Ludivine
Sagnier) arrives. Julie is John's daughter, a young French woman who flaunts
her blossoming sexuality with each high-heeled prance. The rest of the
movie covers their relationship, mostly rocky due to their obvious differences;
Julie is young, fashionable, and free from nearly all inhibitions, while
Sarah is old and orthodox in clothes and manner.
Although "Swimming Pool" is Rampling's movie,
and she is unquestionably the lead character, it is Sagnier that shines
brightest here. With slight changes in expression, she accurately captures
the essence of a somewhat promiscuous young woman who may enjoy being
wild, yet truly wishes for a man she can eventually settle down with.
Until then she hides behind her mask of popularity and excitement.
Overall, however, director Francois Ozon gives his actresses
very little to work with. Rampling, forced to carve out a three dimensional
portrait out of a caricature of a snotty Englishwoman, does a decent job
with what she had to work with. But her only significant character development
to speak of was a very orthodox portrayal of Sarah losing her inhibitions.
Ozon leaves many unanswered questions throughout the movie,
all of which would have helped to strengthen the script and improve character
development. Was Sarah ever sexually attracted to Julie? Was she ever
in an affair with her publisher, John? The viewer is left in the dark
on the contents of Sarah's writing, even after Julie reads her novel,
something that Sarah had explicitly forbid and which has serious implications
later on.
Potentially most damaging is the nearly complete ignoring
of the main motif of the movie, the swimming pool. Ozon shows Sarah swimming
in the water after she previously had said she hated pools. This action
is analogous to the loosening up of her character, yet that is the extent
of it.
The surprise twist at the end will not be divulged here, but I will say it proves that "Swimming Pool" has more to do with Sarah Morton's imagination than with the actual story presented. Yet when the movie seemed to only be striving for the authenticity and depth of one of Sarah Morton's cheap mystery novels, and it does achieve that goal. How interesting or deep is that imagination?
Swimming Pool is now playing at the Eveningstar Cinema.
|
FastCounter by bCentral |