A Bigger Splash

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

There's something that made this film really come together well in the beginning. I didn't think it entirely successful, and many people will not take to its meandering tone and feel. More importantly, the character beats all seemed to work well. Yet at the same time, the longer it went on, the more and more I disliked it. The longer it went on, the more obnoxious it became, and what was initially interesting and intriguing became really lazy and uninspired. The more original the film thought it was, the more aggravating it was. I can't even really pick any specifics, it just did not sit right with me. The cast itself was good, and the film definitely wasn't following any clichés or formulas, so perhaps I would feel like rewatching it in the future and that would change my mind. But oh no, not right now.

If you thought that Oscar Isaac's dancing in "Ex Machina" was a sight to behold, then wait until you see this. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, who is best known for his well-received work on "I Am Love" in 2009, this has to be a shoe-in for the most screwed up family holiday of the year. Tilda Swinton, who has worked with Guadagnino in the past, stars as voiceless rockstar Marianne Lane, who has retired to a remote island off the coast of Italy in order to recover from an operation on her vocal chords. Joining her is partner and filmmaker Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, as we see through flashbacks, is introduced to Lane by record producer Harry Hawkes, a rambunctious and zany character played in true dickhead style by Ralph Fiennes. After intruding on Marianne and Paul's get-away with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who seems to share a rather suspicious and discomforting relationship with her new-found father, it becomes clear that Harry has some designs on winning his ex-lover and colleague Marianne back. Set in the beautiful Pantellaria, and often around an enticing swimming pool, what seems like an above-board retreat soon turns pretty sour. Having competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which saw it receive rave reviews from many critics, can "A Bigger Splash" live up to its impactful title?

The first half an hour, or so, of "A Bigger Splash" is absolutely irresistible. Guadagnino directs with a lot of style and personality, and proves himself quite capable of capturing a beautiful landscape on screen. Having seen what Paolo Sorrentino did with the alpine hotel in "Youth", it seems as if it runs in the blood of Italian directors. A very interesting atmosphere and tone is also set; the film is playful and somewhat raunchy, but also quite ambiguous and eccentric. Playing into this are the excellent performances which, throughout the entire duration of the feature, hold up the narrative. Tilda Swinton, who actually suggested that her character shouldn't be able to speak herself, does incredibly well with a very physical performance of gestures, facial reactions and whispers, and despite the age gap, her romance with Schoenaerts' Paul feels quite believable. The stand-out performer though, which is saying something in a film starring Tilda Swinton, is Ralph Fiennes, who shows his superb range with a crazy portrayal of an insufferable, irritating nuisance.

Despite the character he is playing, Fiennes is obscenely engaging, and a scene in which he busts multiple moves is both hilarious and striking in a way that very few films are. I might tentatively suggest, even at this early stage in the year, that his performance in "A Bigger Splash" could be an early contender for an Oscar nomination. Dakota Johnson rounds out the leading quartet with a sultry turn as Penelope, a mysterious, curious figure that does add a bit of youthful spice to proceedings. You have to commend the central cast for their excellent chemistry with one another; while there is an excessiveness and heightened sense of reality involved in "A Bigger Splash", its feet are kept on the ground by the intriguing interactions that take place between the colliding personalities. Guadagnino is successful in his attempt to create a palpable awkwardness between ex-lovers, father and daughter, husband and wife and for a while this allows the movie to feel rather dynamic. The movie features an excellent soundtrack as well, which really helps you sink into the wonderful surroundings depicted in the film, and you do get the sense that you're almost along for the ride on this dysfunctional holiday with the characters in question. "A Bigger Splash" is an accomplished film in a number of ways, and really is gorgeous to look at.

It's rather frustrating then that "A Bigger Splash", despite the film's achievements, feels like a missed opportunity. Although each of the main quartet are interesting in their own particular way, there is a clear absence of emotional connection to any of the central characters; their arcs are ultimately unsatisfying and their experiences seem to make very little impact upon the audience. Seeing these well-known names act in rather unfamiliar and off-the-cuff ways is bright and unexpected initially, but well into the second act of the film, the novelty of the feature starts to wear off. At a runtime of over two hours, too much of "A Bigger Splash" feels like a spinning of wheels, and although it would be unfair to label the movie as totally pretentious, there is a heavy-handidness of theme which comes across as rather jarring. The narrative, in several ways, just doesn't sustain itself; after a while it's quite easy to lose interest in what happens to each character, and they all seem so distanced from reality that any kind of relatability is ultimately sacrificed.

It's also fair to say that the setting, as wonderful as the holiday home is, becomes quite stale after a prolonged amount of time, and the claustrophobic, limited scope of the feature doesn't resonate emotionally in any particular way. The performances are great, but they don't really end up contributing to anything that is remotely substantial. This is summed up in the final act which, irrespective of a somewhat surprising plot-twist, doesn't resolve the issues addressed in the movie very well at all. The final scene is totally bizarre in its own right, but the entire conclusion to "A Bigger Splash" stunk of whimsical nonsense, and offered no pleasing or arresting closure to the overall narrative which had taken place. I admit that I might be missing something beneath the surface of this movie's glossy sheen, but the final stages of the film are handled so erratically and messily that it somewhat spoils the promise that "A Bigger Splash" clearly has.

The peace and tranquility of a rock star recovering from throat surgery and her documentarian boyfriend is shattered by a visit from the musician's former lover and his estranged adult daughter in this unusual film. Tension hangs in the air throughout with much unannounced but pronounced animosity between the characters. Ralph Fiennes is simply electric as the unwanted guest, oblivious to his intrusion (not to mention the disturbance he causes by constantly walking around nude), while Tilda Swinton is solid in a challenging role that forces her to emote without talking above a whisper. Intriguing as all this might sound though, it adds up to precious little. There are a lot of zooms-in and out that call attention to themselves without discernible purpose. The daughter's motives are also elusive throughout without any explanation; she acts with hostility towards Swinton, for instance, simply for the sake of it. That said, the plot takes a sharp turn in the final 35 minutes with a twist that causes us to view three of the characters in a different light. For a two-hour film though, such a twist comes late in the piece and with an inconclusive ending too, it is hard to hone in on what the point of the film is (outside of the notion that the Italian police are competent). For Fiennes, Swinton, some great costumes and several breathtaking locations, 'A Bigger Splash' is worth watching, but is that alone enough?

'A Bigger Splash' (2015) is a remake of a film ('La Piscine' - directed by Jacques Deray based on a novel by Alain Page) that is remembered today mainly because of the presence on the screen of the couple Alain Delon - Romy Schneider. Since then, a few more films have been added to the 'swimming pool drama' genre. The version created by the Italian director Luca Guadagnino is different in that it does not completely isolate the sentimental conflicts of the characters and the blue waters of the pool from the world around. We are in the years when the crisis of migrants making their way across the Mediterranean was at its peak. The Italian island where the story is set is in the middle of this tumult, which will also influence, despite them, the destinies of the characters.

Marianne is a famous rock singer who is recovering from a throat surgery that may damage her vocal cords, due to which doctors have advised her not to use her voice for a while. Together with Paul, her boyfriend, a documentary films director, they chose the villa on this island to isolate themselves from the world. Their plan is upended when Harry, a hysterical extroverted music producer, shows up, accompanied by his young beauty daughter Penelope. Harry is Paul's best friend and Marianne's ex-lover. He seems uncaring and morally corrupt, willing to drag everyone else around him into his self-centered machinations. The attempt to renew the connection with Marianne is at first met with a refusal, but the man insists. Meanwhile, some kind of relationship seems to be forming between Paul and Penelope. But something will happen and the erotic drama is in danger of sliding towards tragedy.

The screenplay is a bit unbalanced, in the sense that more than half of the film we witness the far too thorough and too patient construction of a drama that unfolds too late. With less than half the time available, the second part, which had become interesting, seems to be headed for an ending that some found problematic (not me). The cast is stellar. Tilda Swinton has a very interesting role precisely because she is limited in her ability to speak. A professional of voice, both in the story in the film and as an actress, she is obliged to use solely the expressiveness of her figure and body and succeeds in creating a memorable role. Ralph Fiennes thickens Harry's features a bit, but in the end his character is credible and interacts well with his partners. Matthias Schoenaerts is a bit too low-key as Paul. Maybe it was the directorial indications, but my feeling was that the character played by him is not fully revealed. Rounding out the cast is Dakota Johnson as Penelope. She also leaves some open questions about her character, but here the mystery is clearly intentional and belongs in the script. I also liked the cinematography created by Yorick Le Saux - spectacular, but without stepping into the realm of tourist ads. On the contrary, the camera manages to capture glimpses of the real world, indifferent to the conflicts that take place in the villas of the rich and too busy with the real dramas to care about the possible dramas that take place in or around the swimming pools.