Swimming Pool (2003)
Written and Directed by François Ozon
Starring Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance
102 mins / Focus Features / Rated R
Retail: $26.98 / Street: $18
by Alex Mestas 8/24/2003
More info: Focus Features
Swimming Pool DVD Cover
The Cover
In François Ozon's Swimming Pool, Charlotte Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a successful mystery author who's stuck in her life. It's not that she has writer's block - she has a block of an emotional nature. Tightly wound and grouchy, she's the very vision of a writer soured. At the behest of her editor she takes a short vacation at his house in France to relax and write. And relax she does. She's inspired by the clean air, the beautiful scenery and of course, the swimming pool. But before she can even take a dip, her editor's daughter Julie comes knocking on the door.

Played by the sublimely sexual Ludivine Sagnier, Julie is all that Sarah is not. She's young and beautiful, messy and vivacious. Julie sleeps around, with no moralistic attitude about the acts she performs. Naturally enough, Sarah is at once horrified and inspired by this new guest. Julie is completely comfortable in who she is and makes no attempt to hide her all encompassing desires. Because of this, Sarah soon takes to studying Julie more closely, and it's about this time that things take a slightly more sinister turn. Sarah begins to live vivaciously through Julie, spying on her, watching her and trying to figure out what she's about.

Rampling is great at playing a staunch woman who's more liable to write about dirty things then actually do them. And thanks to Sagnier, Swimming Pool has a deep seeded eroticism that really manages to put the audience on edge. You just know that she is the distillation of the bad girl, the femme fatale, and that this distinction has only one possible result. Femme fatales after all, are called that for a reason. And like all great ones, we really like Julie and her free-wheeling ways, but there's always that nagging feeling that you want to see her punished.

Swimming Pool doesn't have a distinctly delineated plot, but instead focuses on the emotions that are distilled into each of these characters. Coupled with many a David Lynch element (a little person makes an appearance, and there's a lot in here that reminded me of Mulholland Drive, hint hint.), Swimming Pool has a conflicting ending that will stump you unless you think things out. But really, it doesn't need a resolution. It's just not that kind of movie. What matters is that Sarah has been changed by the experience - by letting her imagination take hold and letting Julie provide a dripping foothold into her mind.

Movie Grade: A-

Video: 4 out of 5
A beautiful transfer that's well balanced and bright. There's a slight touch of softness, but nothing that won't distract from Julie.
Widescreen Anamorphic - 1.85:1

Ludivine Sagnier in Swimming Pool
The rare scene in which Julie is not naked and / or engaged in sexual activity. Naturally, it is not my favorite scene.

Audio: 4 out of 5
The audio is quite simple but well imaged. There's not a lot of practical rear channel effects, but the music swells and seems well balanced when compared to most films of its type. If anyone cares, the subtitles aren't burned in.
English (Dolby 5.1), French (Dolby 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)

Extras: 2 out of 5
Unfortunately, there's not much here. There's a single trailer for the film. There's also twelve minutes of deleted scenes that are as about as boring as they come - mostly scenes of Charlotte Rampling walking around. I'm not kidding.

Overall: 4 out of 5
It's a sexually charged movie with a good, mysterious plot and a sexy girl. Buy it.

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