00s Movie Review - Swimming Pool

Director: François Ozon
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Charles Dance, Ludivine Sagnier, Jean-Marie Lamour, Marc Fayolle

Description: A British mystery author (Charlotte Rampling) visits her publisher’s (Charles Dance) home in the South fo France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) sets off some touch dynamics.

Review: The story begins in England. Author Sarah Morton visits her publisher John. She is his main source of income, and she behaves accordingly. Sarah is in a bit of a slump and is not enjoying her fame. John offers her a stay at his country house in France, an inspiring environment to start working on a new book. This seems to be working out quite well, until suddenly Julie arrives, the French daughter of John from a previous marriage.
Julie’s way of life is rather different fro that of the rather grumpy, reserved Sarah. Julie prefers to walk around naked, enjoys the pool and brings home a different man every night. Sarah is initially annoyed, but eventually becomes inspired by Julie.
A sultry intrigue blossoms, and Sarah keeps on writing. And at the end, the story takes on a totally different light. The story is initially about the elusiveness of the human mind, the blurred line between dream and reality and the role of the muse in the creative process.
Charlotte Rampling is the star of the film and she is wonderful as Sarah. She makes this film better than it would normally be. Because overall, the film is a bit dull at times. The term thriller doesn’t really fit. It’s by no means a bad movie, but not a lot happens, that’s all.

Rating: 3/ 5