Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Swimming Pool

This is topic Swimming Pool in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000622

Posted by Kristin Wahlund (Member # 922) on 08-15-2003, 01:01 AM:

Don't tell me I was the only one out of ALL of you to see this one...

I thought it was kind of slow and very well weird. The trailers made it seem like there was going to be a little more going on in the movie then there actually was. It seemed like there was no real plot line to the movie, I mean, other than a suspense type movie there really isn't any other way to classify the film.

And I do hope someone else has seen this and could maybe help me figure out the strange ending. I think I had it, but when I was leaving tthe theatre I was ever so confused...

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-15-2003, 08:17 AM:

I saw it a few weeks ago at a preview screening and watched it four times from the booth this week (single-screen house). I liked it; the casting is dead-on perfect, and it is beautifully photographed. The pacing is a bit slow compared to other films, but it fits the material well. It's a good film, and I recommend it.

*POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW*

I still don't "get" the ending, nor have I met anyone who has. I'd guess that the "Julie" in France is entirely a figment of the writer's imagination (a dream, perhaps? the last scene in R1 is of her getting into bed and then getting out again) and that the "real" Julie is the girl whom Sarah meets at the editor's office at the end of the film. But who knows? And what was the deal with the cross above the bed?

Posted by Kristin Wahlund (Member # 922) on 08-16-2003, 05:02 PM:

Yeah I don't understand a lot of it. Kinda makes you want to see it again to see if you can figure it out. I did like, it was just weird. I expected it to be more involved than it was, a little more fast paced and what not. I liked it. Have to see it again.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 08-17-2003, 01:32 AM:

I am not even playing this movie and I have had numerous people come up to me and ask me about the ending.......

Posted by Mitchell Cope (Member # 32) on 08-17-2003, 07:42 AM:

My interpretation is that...

====== SPOILERS AHEAD ===================

most, if not all, of the whole story at the vacation house is was what Sarah Morton, the writer, creates for her book. She's had writer's block up until this adventure. She may not have actually ever met the real Julie until that chance meeting at her publisher's office.

I interpreted the crucifix as something regarding her inhibitions, perhaps creative inhibitions as well. She wanted to take that down off the wall, especially over her bed. The fact that Julie put it back up on the wall could be interpreted that the real Julie was actually there. Anyone's guess, I guess.

Now go out and see "Spider" and see how that twerks your mind over what is real and what is not.

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 08-19-2003, 01:02 PM:

I rate "Swimming Pool" 9 beers out of a 12 pack [beer]

"Swimming Pool" was ,my first true art movie in a true art house. I did enjoy it. I didn't really mind the slow parts. I was glad that the movie picked up and the characters became involved and interesting.

I would recommend this movie to people who like "The Graduate", "Donnie Darko". It is slow but the story intrigues you, you become involved with the characters and the end is a suprise, more like a stumper. Beware alot of nudity.

*POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW*

The ending was left open to the viewers interpretation, which will make you ponder around in your vast imaginative cranium if you let it. I asked a guy, who works there and his thoughts on the ending where like Scott's. There was no Julie in France.

I think at the end, when Sarah sees her publishers daughter she realizes that her character "Julie" looks like his real daughter. We the audience realize "Julie" is fiction, since we see "Julia" the publishers real daughter. Sarah walks right past "Julia" without even a hello. That gives us the notion they never met and we assume it was all in her new book.

Go to Swimming Pool - IMDB it

[ 08-20-2003, 08:12 PM: Message edited by: William Leland III ]

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 08-19-2003, 05:45 PM:

I saw this in Princeton at a Sunday matinee that drew ~100. Didn't post a review as I was recovering from a short stay in the hospital.

Yes, I was able to figure out the climax. Consider it a feminist revenge fantasy -- just like Cousin Bette.

Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier deserve Oscar nominations. If Miramax tries to buy its way into Oscar Night then Focus (US distrib. for Swimming Pool) should scream "FIX!"

Posted by Andrew McCrea (Member # 674) on 08-25-2003, 04:02 PM:

We're currently running this film, and we got to go in before the Mignight Movie Ressurection screening.

We received a horrible print that kept focusing in and out rapidly (from very focused to very blurry), and the sound cut in and out throughout the film, from very very soft, to blaring so the room echoed. We had some woman banging on the crew room door [Roll Eyes]

and then come over to the concession stand and say [Mad]

"Is there anyone up there fixing it?" after we explained to her twice that we received a bad print.

All in all, I enjoyed the film, didn't think it moved two slow... And I'm still very very very confused with the ending! [Confused]

Anyways, Our focus problems were during reel 2 and beginning of reel 3.