"Swimming Pool"
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by François Ozon’s
Written by Emmanuèle Bernheim and François Ozon
Produced by Olivier Debosc and Marc Missionnier
Starring Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Jean-Marie Lamour, Sebastian Harcombe and Keith Yeates
Rated R
Opens at the Broadway
(out of four)

François Ozon’s "Swimming Pool" sharply combines a conventional British-style murder mystery with a character study of the type of person who writes such material.

It’s a patient, thought-out work that uses its plot twists to reveal things about the characters rather than simply surprise-end the audience, although the ending is certainly surprising, and may confuse people with its ambiguity.

Charlotte Rampling stars in a strong and atypical performance as an English mystery writer, Sarah Morton, who travels to her publisher’s vacation home in the French countryside to cure writer’s block. She’s tired of writing the same type of mysteries over and over again, pleasing the mother of her publishing house’s hot new writer.

The countryside clears Sarah’s head, until the publisher’s daughter, Julie, arrives at the house—and brings a new man home every night. As Julie, Ludivine Sagnier creates a great rapport with Rampling, as the two fight bitterly and slowly learn to get along.

Sarah soon begins to learn about Julie’s relationship with her father and the men she brings home and starts work on a new book incorporating these details and more from Julie’s diary. She also begins developing her own sexual appetite for a waiter in town (Jean-Marie Lamour).

The young Ozon ("Under the Sand," "Eight Women," "Sitcom") has established himself as one of France’s up-and-coming directors, and here demonstrates his sharp humor and sense of irony. His direction creates a noir-ish tone that doesn’t let the style win out over the message. His camera has an equal eye for concern and amusement, making his films unique experiences.

RED decided to increase readership by including a picture of Emmanuèle Bernheim in the film "Swimming Pool."

The film’s humor includes several seductress jokes, including a role reversal for Sarah. While amusing, this scene reminds us that, despite her age, Rampling still knows sex appeal better than most young actresses working today, having appeared as a temptress in films like "The Night Porter" and “Farewell my Lovely."

Here, she mostly has the voyeur’s role, fascinated by witnessing some of the actions that she’d normally only experience at the typewriter.

The mystery itself isn’t the most elaborate or engaging of all time, but Ozon and co-screenwriter Emmanuèle Bernheim create enough fascinating characters to keep the film engaging, exciting and mysterious.

This also marks Ozon’s first film written mostly in English, so it’s a good chance for subtitle-fearing people to introduce themselves to one of the world’s most promising young directors.
jeremy@red-mag.com