A Bigger Splash (2015)

The vacation of a famous rock star and her boyfriend in Italy is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.

Director:

Luca Guadagnino

Writers:

David Kajganich (screenplay by), Jacques Deray (movie "La piscine")

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes

4 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tilda Swinton	...	Marianne Lane
Matthias Schoenaerts	...	Paul De Smedt
Ralph Fiennes	...	Harry Hawkes
Dakota Johnson	...	Penelope Lannier
Corrado Guzzanti	...	Maresciallo
Alessandro Ferrara	...	Carabiniere 1
David Maddalena	...	Carabiniere 2
Salvatore Gabriele	...	Mayor
Livio Franco Blandino	...	Restaurant Owner
Aurore Clément	...	Mireille
Lily McMenamy	...	Sylvie
Vito Rodo	...	Waiter
Elena Bucci	...	Clara
Tom Stickley	...	Drummer
Jerry Popiel	...	Guitarist

Storyline

In A BIGGER SPLASH, the lives of a high profile couple, a famous rock star (Tilda Swinton) and a filmmaker (Matthias Schoenaerts), vacationing and recovering on the idyllic sun-drenched and remote Italian island of Pantelleria, are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson) - creating a whirlwind of jealousy, passion and, ultimately, danger for everyone involved.

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Plot Keywords:

rock star | italian | extramarital affair | infidelity | unfaithful wife | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Lucky Red [Italy] Official Facebook

Country:

Italy France

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

13 May 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bigger Splash

Filming Locations:

Pantelleria Island, Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$114,419, 8 May 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,982,505, 26 June 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frenesy Film Company, Cota Film, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luca Guadagnino met Matthias Schoenaerts in 2012, because someone told him that there was this fantastic young Belgian actor who played in a very powerful film called Rundskop (2011), which he hadn't seen. Guadagnino was in LA and got a screener of Bullhead and he saw it and thought, 'Oh my god, this guy is really a force of nature.' Schoenaerts happened to be in Los Angeles, and Guadagnino met him. Guadagnino had this meeting with Schoenaerts that was really touching for him because he saw in Matthias the integrity and solidity of a man of great skill and great inheritance, because Matthias's father is one of the greatest European actors of the 70s, Julien Schoenaerts. But according to Guadagnino, Matthias has his own identity as an actor, and has his own way of being. Actor and director met again after Schoenaerts made Rust and Bone (2012), and they had a sort of aim to work together, so for Guadagnino it was only natural that when they started to cast, he said, 'okay, let's get him to play this brooding character who is always accepting the heat from Harry until he cannot accept them anymore, and unconsciously goes for what he should not do'. And Guadagnino felt that Matthias would be perfect to play Paul.

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Goofs

When they are lying on the beach and watching a plane fly over, the dimensions of the shadow of the passenger plane are much smaller than the size of an actual airplane, which doesn't make any sense.

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Quotes

Mireille: To be a genius is to be unruled. To be unruled is to be alone.

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Crazy Credits

The initial credits have the roles and names on yellow shapes (like small mosaic pieces) on a black background, before reverting to more traditional lists.

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Connections

References Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

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Soundtracks

Pranam II
Written by Giacinto Scelsi
Performed by Ensemble Phoenix Basel
Published in Italy by Casa Ricordi Srl
Courtesy of Telos Music
By arrangement with Source/Q and Naxos

User Reviews

Fiennes at his Fiennest

I hadn't seen A Bigger Splash but after being dazzled by Call Me By Your Name, I rushed to find and see this Luca Guadagnino 2015 film and it confirmed without a doubt that Luca Guadagnino is a remarkable filmmaker with a retro eye and a futuristic sensibility. His elegance makes cinematic the most unpalatable of tales and this one, a four sided triangle, it's unpalatable and scrumptious all at the same time. Tilda Swinton is superb as the voiceless singer, Dakota Johnson gave me, for the first time, a glimpse into what she could be, Matthias Schoenaerts hits all the right notes even the most unexpected ones but Ralph Fiennes gives a performance that it hast to be seen to be believed mostly because this is the same actor in Schindler's List, Quiz Show, In Bruges and last year he provided me woth one of the funniest scenes of the year in Hail Caesar. So, as you must gather, I had a great time and I'll wait for the next Guadagnino with childish anticipation