LFF 2015: A Bigger Splash ****
Fans of Jacques Deray’s 1969 film La Piscine will be curious about this English-language remake by I Am Love’s Luca Guadagnino. The cast alone is a major draw, with Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts centred around the pool in question. This time, the simmering tensions play out on the Italian island of Pantelleria off the Sicilian coast, instead of the South of France.
Swinton (I Am Love) plays retired international rock star Marianne Lane who is recovering from losing her voice and living in self-imposed exile at a villa retreat with younger boyfriend, former documentary film-maker Paul (Schoenaerts). Both are taking time out – with Paul getting over an attempted suicide, when their sanctuary is rocked by the arrival of brash ex-music producer and Marianne’s former lover Harry (Fiennes) who brings along his Lolita-looking teen daughter Penelope (Johnson) that he’s just reconciled with. Harry has designs on getting Marianne back while Penelope is interested in Paul. Sexual tensions brew as dark clouds form over the whole unsettled affair.
Guadagnino’s palette changes with the film’s moods to entice us while warning us of impending danger. It’s like watching a stage production unfold under deliberate lighting changes, as the setting is as much a lead character as its actors. The telling first scene of change to come sees Marianne and Paul content as ‘pigs in mud’ – literally – as Harry’s plane flies overhead, casting a shadow over the couple. From that moment, Guadagnino uses light and shade to set the stage, dictating how we should feel to impressive effect.
As Swinton commendably acts as much as one can when your character has no voice, still invoking the required emotion at any one time, it’s down to Fiennes to invigorate and stir the emotional pot. This has got to be one of his finest performances in a long time. Harry is such a free-willed man tornado who throws caution to the wind that you are both delighted by and troubled by his presence in each of his scenes. His flippant remarks either have you scoffing or laughing out loud, or wincing with embarrassment or pity. The beauty is, Harry is equally bruised by past regrets that you cannot simply dismiss him. He’s the film’s devilish catalyst and anti-hero.
Harry paves the way for Johnson’s Penelope’s unhealthy interest to grow. In fact, you could argue her character merely awakens the status quo from their stagnant slumber, as no one is actually happy, regardless of the stunning surroundings. To be honest, their imperfections are nothing compared to how the local law enforcement comes across in this film, including caging boat migrants in the town’s local immigration camp – a controversial political statement of our current times, if ever there was one. This feels like a deliberate red rag by the film-maker, but also acts a convenient comparison between haves and have-nots – the former still not getting it completely right with the whole world at their feet.
The film is perfectly cast, including Johnson who is usually ‘vanilla’ in performance, but always seductive (unintentionally sometimes) and easy on the eye though. Her laid-back delivery works in her favour here, as she and all the other characters play their cards close to their chest, keeping you constantly wondering as to their real motives. The only clues are Penelope’s reading material, making her less of a closed book. This goes to fuel the friction and distrust, leading to inevitable tragedy. It’s deliciously infectious, like watching a beautifully executed ‘whodunit’ developing in paradise.
Rolling Stones fans will also come in for a treat with lots of music, reminiscing and nods to their heroes, as Harry revels in fond memories of his former hell-raising lifestyle. It’s all retro hip – including the villa itself. Whereas La Piscine had a blue-bottomed pool, this one is a sheer piece of art in itself, formed like a natural sunken bath that’s both inviting and later constricting and broken-looking as it takes its casualty.
The inherent problem with the film is its ending and who is left that make for a damp squib of a finale after the emotional rollercoaster. There is also a strange tonal aspect that involves a final, semi-comical turn by local plod. It cheapens the emotional dynamism of the former. In fact the triumphant character we are left with is not necessarily one we care about the most. Therefore, there are no winners, leaving you flat in emotion.
Nevertheless, A Bigger Splash is must-see viewing for those who like a modern-day tragedy of forbidden longing, both in acting and setting. It could have been perfectly envisaged with a rethink of the ending to keep the momentum from fizzling out too early, even with the necessary ‘calm after the storm’. That said it is a successful English-language remake by a great emerging feature-making talent in Guadagnino – who has honed his skills in short-film-making – that rightfully stands alone.
4/5 stars
By @FilmGazer
