Revisiting A Wonder: Swimming Pool (2003)

Swimming Pool (2003)

Let's look back at a movie or series from the yesteryears, and discuss why it might be an intriguing watch for you, in case you haven’t already! Today’s movie is 2003’s Swimming Pool, from director Francois Ozon.

We follow Sarah Morton, an author, who wants to write something new, something of a genre that she’s never written before, but comes up short of ideas. To nudge her creativity, her publisher lends her his lavish villa on the French shores, so she would have a change of scenery. And so, Sarah sets off for France, for her tryst with a sprawling mansion, replete with a swimming pool that is evidently the source of inspiration for the movie’s title. Her solitude, however, is cut short by the unannounced arrival of the publisher’s daughter, Julie, played by an effervescent Ludivine Sagnier. Initially, Sarah considers her as a distraction, as she prepares to write her novel. Julie’s time is spent lounging about by the pool by day, and one-night stands with different men. Sarah tries to keep out her throes with headphones, but maintains a somewhat voyeuristic interest. She slowly begins to show further interest in her, and turns her into an unlikely muse for the novel.

The swimming pool features widely throughout the film. When Sarah first arrived, the pool was covered, unused for some time. Julie arrived and took off the covers, going for a swim as Sarah watched from her window. The change in Sarah’s behaviour is intriguing, as she turns Julie from a distraction to the heart of her book. She eagerly follows her lifestyle, sneaks into her room to read her diary, and tries to interact more with her. At one point in the film, it suddenly seems like she came out a shell and became a different person. From the withdrawn character who disregards Julie’s actions, she goes out, takes a swim by the pool, and then lays by its side, just as she had often seen Julie do. She goes out for a dinner with her, and even seems to compete with her for the attention of a waiter, Francko, whom Sarah was familiar with from her occasional lunches at the bistro. By the end of her stint at the house, they had developed something of a bond.

The tensest moments of the film come near the end when an accident leads to a death. How the two of them deal with this unexpected occurrence is a gripping watch. The contrast between the two could not be wider – an older, quieter woman, as against the younger, carefree soul. But they work together to clean up the mess, as Sarah provides some calm to the clearly ruffled Julie.

So far, though the movie is quiet, with terse moments, good acting and a fairly intriguing script. But the ending is the real show-stealer. Sarah returns to the Publisher’s office, where she meets Julia, his daughter. And that’s the surprise, as this Julia is a completely different person to the Julie that she encountered in France. At this point, the viewer is left to wonder, what happened through the movie so far? Who was that Julie? It makes you wonder whether all of it happened, or if everything we saw just a figment of Sarah’s imagination; if Sarah imagined a scenario in her head to create a plot for her novel. This is one of the most surprising endings that I have ever seen, and what the entire movie lacks in intensity, it more than makes up for it in the last quarter of runtime.

Charlotte Rampling plays Sarah Morton brilliantly. She captures the essence of the character perfectly; an older woman, a successful author looking for a change, who treats the younger generation’s shenanigans with disdain, but at the same time, craves their life to an extent. Near the end, there is a scene where she pulls off a bold move to distract the gardener who was looking where he shouldn’t. Ludivine Sagnier, too, portrays her character well; the young and carefree woman, lounging by the pool and through the day. She spends a fair amount of time in the buff, and slowly develops an intimate relationship with Sarah.

Overall, a nice watch, with an ending that will keep you haunted for some time. The parting shot is fitting and well orchestrated. Julie comes out of the pool and waves to Sarah Sarah on the balcony, and the camera switches to show Sarah’s face. When the camera returns to the pool, however, we see it is not Julie, but Julia. This fits in with the ambiguous nature of the film’s climax.