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With so many summer films focusing on a lot of action and less on
dialogue, folks are asking for films with some substance rather than
be mesmerized by the high octane explosions and car chase scenes that we have
been subjected to so far. Well, if you happen to live in cities where
the multiplexes don’t rule, then hopefully you have a few independent
or foreign films playing near by. Belive it or not, there are a few of
these films that, although they may not carry a big name with it, can
capture your heart and mind with its story of intrigue and suspense.
One such film is Swimming Pool, directed by famed French Director Francois
Ozon. Before you start to think that this is a foreign film, you are
wrong. It’s Francois’s first English language film and it does not disappoint.
If you loved Jessica Fletcher of TVs Murder She Wrote, then you will
like Sarah Morton, played marvelously by Charlotte Rampling. Swimming
Pool is a sexually charged film filled with enough intrigue to keep
you guessing its outcome after it’s over.
Sarah Morton (Rampling) is a famous English writer of mystery and suspense.
Everyone wants to know when her next novel will come out, including her
publisher John Bosload (Dance), whom Sarah secretly likes. She’s also
depressed as she wants to try something new, knowing that John won’t appreciate
her change. Sensing her mood swing, John offers Sarah his home in the South
of France for some relaxation. It’s a beautiful country house and with
a pool and a garden. She’ll be all by herself to concentrate on her latest mystery
novel. Sarah accepts the gesture and she finds his home quite peaceful
until John’s French daughter Julie (Sagnier) shows up unexpectedly. The
two females don’t get off to a good start as Sarah feels Julie is intruding
on her vacation. Julie doesn’t make it easier when her lifestyle is brought
home to Sarah’s amazement. Intrigue by Julie’s openness about her men
and life, Sarah begins to start a friendship until a series of events makes it difficult to trust her. It also
brings out Sarah’s profession into her personal life.
Unless you are Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, or Julia Roberts, female roles with substance are hard to find these days. Granted some do comedy
or action packed films, but the drama department lacks leading roles
for females. Francois Ozon is one of a few directors who can write and
directe a strong female film without having a big name attached to it because
it’s the story that sells. His last two films, both French (8 Women,
Under the Sand) were strong well-acclaimed female themed films. In Swimming
Pool, Rampling, who also starred in Under the Sand is absolutely amazing
in her role as someone who’s not so sure what’s she gotten herself into.
Sagnier does an admirable job in keeping up with Rampling. Her beauty
also serves as a secondary character and keeps the pace from slowing
down. Played out like a Hitchcock film, Swimming Pool is full of mysteries
and suspense, and establishes Ozon as a director who made the crossover
to American cinema with ease. |
