Swimming Pool (2003)

A British mystery author visits her publisher's home in the South of France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter sets off some touchy dynamics.

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon (screenplay), Emmanuèle Bernheim,

Stars:

Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance

4 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlotte Rampling	...	Sarah Morton
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Julie
Charles Dance	...	John Bosload
Jean-Marie Lamour	...	Franck
Marc Fayolle	...	Marcel
Mireille Mossé	...	Marcel's Daughter
Michel Fau	...	First Man
Jean-Claude Lecas	...	Second Man
Emilie Gavois-Kahn	...	Waitress at Cafe (as Emilie Gavois Kahn)
Erarde Forestali	...	Old Man
Lauren Farrow	...	Julia
Sebastian Harcombe	...	Terry Long
Frances Cuka	...	Lady on the Underground
Keith Yeates	...	Sarah's Father
Tricia Aileen	...	John Bosload's Secretary

Storyline

Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her--until late one night, when John's indolent and insouciant French daughter Julie unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's prim and steely English reserve is jarred by Julie's reckless, sexually charged lifestyle. Their interactions set off an increasingly unsettling series of events, as Sarah's creative process and a possible real-life murder begin to blend dangerously together.

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Plot Keywords:

publisher | swimming | murder | swimming pool | mystery writer | 

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Taglines:

Dive into this summer's sexiest mystery

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use

Details

Country:

France UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 May 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

La piscina

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$28,984 (South Africa) (21 May 2004)

Gross:

$50,726 (South Africa) (28 May 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidélité Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Gimages

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlotte Rampling's character Sarah is named after her sister, who killed herself at age 23. She told The Guardian, "I thought that after such a very long time of not letting her be with me that I would like to bring her back into my life."

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Goofs

When Sarah is shown typing at her laptop, she is clearly pressing the keys at random and sometimes several at once.

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Quotes

Julie: I'm so tired!
Sarah Morton: Not surprised. It's tiring to kill a man.

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Connections

References Persona (1966)

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Soundtracks

"Oh my baby blue"
(Alexander Baker / Clair Marlo)
Bruton Music
With grateful permission from Zomba Production Music

User Reviews

Absolutely brilliant

I first saw the trailer for this film at Fredddy vs. Jason back in '03 and me and my friend were in hysterics at how lame it looked. He recently bought me the film on DVD as a 'joke' birthday present but ironically now sits proudly on my DVD shelf as one of my favourite films.

Although very slow moving it is beautifully shot and the soundtrack is fantastic. The characters are brilliant and the acting is flawless. It gets more complex in the second half and is quite difficult to understand the twists in the plot. It draws you in right from the very start and doesn't let you go until the end.