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SWIMMING POOL Send This Review to a Friend
Enhanced by the superb acting of Charlotte Rampling, François Ozon has uncorked a stylish mystery. Good mysteries depend on plot and characters, apart from the ultimate resolution. "Swimming Pool" is rich in atmosphere, plot and fascinating characters. It sneaks up on an audience and may leave you wondering…well, you'll find out about what.
Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a British author of mysteries. She is suffering from burn out and can't find inspiration for a new work. Her publisher, played suavely by Charles Dance, offers his home in the south of France for her to hole up, unwind and write. All looks peaceful on her arrival.
Unexpectedly the publisher's daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) turns up. She is spoiled, noisy, sexy and generally disruptive, everything that Sarah doesn't need in her quest for peace and quiet. Julie's free lifestyle, which serves to emphasize Sarah's uptightness, is unnerving.
Complications involve a good-looking local man and…well again, no more plot. Ozon wrote the screenplay with Emmanuèle Bernheim and it's a beaut. This is Rampling's picture in the acting department, but the supporting cast is excellent too. You should have plenty to think about and talk about when it is over. A Focus Features release.
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