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Italy 2015
Directed by
Luca Guadagnino
124 minutes
Rated M

Reviewed by
Chris Thompson
3 stars

Bigger Splash, A

Synopsis: Bowie-esque rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating from throat surgery on the idyllic volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), a young documentary filmmaker, when Harry (Ralph Fiennes), her former lover and an iconic record producer ,arrives unannounced with his recently discovered daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). Harry’s presence on the island brings up old memories and new tensions as each of them deals with their respective secrets.

Following the success of his 2009 film, I Am Love, which was also heavy on the emotional entanglements of a small group of people and involved a pool and a tragic accident, Italian director Luca Guadagnino has turned to French director Jacques Deray’s 1969 mystery thriller, La Piscine which starred Romy Schneider, Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet and Jane Birkin, as inspiration for his new film. 

Essentially a chamber piece, the excellent cast play out a Rubik’s cube of emotional entanglements that go beyond the obvious rivalry between Marianne’s old and new loves. There’s the uncomfortably tactile relationship between father and newfound daughter, the veiled hostility between Marianne and Penelope, the obvious attraction between Paul and Penelope, the strained pre-existing friendship between Paul and Harry. It all adds up to a potentially potent mix that, for the most part, is compelling and unsettling.

What lets the film down, though, is that each of the characters is so self-absorbed and duplicitous that it becomes hard to empathize with their respective predicaments. The exception to this, ironically, is Harry, who is the most self-absorbed and duplicitous of the lot, but Fiennes’ performance is so marvellously and shamelessly hedonistic and self-centred that we can’t help but be drawn to him. It’s a bit of shift for the often urbane and gentlemanly actor, but his rambunctious portrayal of Harry – especially his wild and off-the-leash dancing to The Rolling Stone’s "Emotional Rescue" - is worth the price of the ticket. Swinton, too, is as watchable as ever but her character’s post-surgery vocal restriction limits her to hoarse whispers that, whilst an interesting acting challenge, becomes a frustration after a while.

Guadagnino and cinematographer Yorick Le Saux make the most of the glorious scenery allowing the isolation of the rocky and desolate landscape to reflect the emotional state of the ensemble whilst the liberal use of music by The Rolling Stones throughout keeps the energy of the film up even when the story feels a bit saggy in the middle (reportedly, The Stones were quite supportive of the conceit that Harry has produced one of their albums which affords him the opportunity to regale the small group with tales of working with Mick and Keith).

What’s difficult about this film is to know who in this passionate tangle we should be siding with. None of the multiple permutations of possible outcomes feels particularly preferable and so it often feels more like sitting outside the story watching a slow-motion collective emotional melt-down. Fortunately, when all this threatens to drag the story into a navel-gazing black hole, the unexpected happens and provides new energy, intrigue and a very endearing performance from Corrado Guzzanti as the local police officer and Marianne’s number-one fan. It’s enough to carry us through to the end.

 

 

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