Rating: 
Summary: Pool of Blood
Review: Intelligent, expertly written, extremely well acted and story-lined for the adults, "The Swimming Pool" is Francois Ozon's first film in English. Ozon has no trouble maneuvering his way around and into a difficult, non-linear story, especially after seeing his "Under the Sand" and "8 Women." And he proves it once again here.
Charlotte Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a successful English detective novelist who is experiencing a bad case of writer's block. Her publisher, John Bosload (Charles Dance) offers her his French Country home for a vacation to re-energize her writing juices. And it works as Sarah begins a new book. But then Bosloads daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up with the nubile sex appeal of a young Brigitte Bardot. And basically all hell breaks loose.
In her early scenes with Bosload, Rampling plays Sarah with an outward cool, yet it is obvious she is repressing a strong attraction to him. At this point Rampling is the picture of English spinsterhood: all bottled up in a buttoned to the neck cardigan and cinched up in sensible shoes. But when Julie arrives on the scene with her gorgeous, hair, eyes and body, Sarah cannot help herself it seems as she spews a ghastly amount of venom on her. For Sarah, Julie is not only a disturbance; she's an interloper, not only of her writing but also of her placid, solitary life. Julie is alive, vibrant, and outwardly sexual: all the things that Sarah isn't. It is reminiscent of those nature films in which the reigning, older Lioness must prove her superiority by clawing and humiliating the younger Lioness. Both Rampling and Sagnier go at each other in such a fury and with such conviction that you can feel the undeniable and tangible heat of all the passion, hate and jealousy emanating from their scenes together.
Ozon calls upon several other films for inspiration but as Sarah becomes more interested in Julie as a subject for a book, he calls upon Bergman and specifically "Persona"
and it's story of transferred personalities and character traits.
"The Swimming Pool" is a sly, immensely enjoyable yet persuasively adult film. It is also a testament to the sterling talents of Francois Ozon, Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier.
Rating:
Summary: tension and eroticism is experienced through the eyes
Review: This film creeps up on you and is absolutely spellbinding. It's the simple story of an aging mass-market crime-fiction writer called Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) who rambles off to the French countryside to find relaxation and hopefully inspiration for her next-in-the-series mystery book. While staying at her publisher's luxurious yet quaint summer retreat, she is confronted by his young daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). Subsequently, all sorts of wild, unpredictable mischief ensues as the prim and proper Englishwoman clashes with the sexually carefree vixen, who evolves into an unexpected muse to the older woman. My pal Oscar and I have spent the summer watching a number of French films, and one thing we both have learned and agree on is that for the most part, unlike most mainstream American films, they are mostly unpredictable. SWIMMING POOL is no different. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a number of odd plot twists move the narrative down an unsettling and unforgiving path until a sensitive and poignant ending reveals tragic truths about life, getting old, and the whimsy of youth that can be difficult for the young to face but which in many ways are empowering to those getting on in the years. If the film instructs anywhere, it is in the wisdom that we are only as old as we feel. Expect tantalizingly erotic moments, mostly surrounding Ms. Sagnier's natural sensuality. There's plenty of eye-candy here, and in the viewing, one cannot help but feel strangely connected to the voyeuristic tendencies exhibited by Sarah as her dismal stoicism slowly disintegrates. Indeed, much of the film's tension and eroticism is experienced through the characters' eyes. Ernest Hemingway said, "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Surely the realm of the author is also to look, and more importantly, to see, as sharply illustrated by Sarah Morton's experience. In the end, her book may be the better for it -- to the possible chagrin of her publisher. Thus in some way, the film has much to say about the way literature is produced (through a "sexual" creative act) and how authors are oft times stripped of soul, reduced to rote formula, marketed, sold and neglected in pursuit of the next best selling author down the pike. In the film, Sarah attempts to transcend this trend through her collision with the young Julie (and in her fictional portrayal in the book she is writing). Expect to be somewhat dismayed by the ending, but give it a moment, put the pieces together and it will all make sense. It's shear pleasure to enjoy a film these days that doesn't fill in the blanks for the audience, and this little gem is a clear winner. The fine acting betrays the taint of sentimentality. The sublime beauty and vivid verisimilitude of the setting and cinematography enhance the overall cinematic experience, and in more than one instance will leave the viewer breathless. Some might complain that the film seems to meander, but this is true of many French films I've seen. This one is no different. Rather than commit to a rigid narrative form, the film appears more like a painting, with rich textures and colors folded onto the canvas in layers. Each scene builds on the last, every moment touches the next. The film is an experience as much as it is a story.
Rating:
Summary: Dive in!
Review: A writer goes on retreat in France for some inspiration & finds her publisher's daughter who has a new man in bed with her every night.
Rating: 
Summary: One 2003's best
Review: A great movie. It's a spooky, mystery film that is jam packed with nudity. A british writer moves to a house in France to work. Her publisher's hot daughter arvies and has some fun in the pool. When questions arise about thr young woman's past the writer is in a story that rivals one of her own. It is a little slow moving, but at the end I was totally confused. The subtitles are a little anoying. NOT FOR YOUNGER VIEWERS!
Rating:
Summary: Testing The Water
Review: I had wanted to see Swimming Pool, after hearing a lot of good buzz about it, late in 2003. While I'm not one to buy into the hype surrounding any film, per se', I have to admit that most thrillers of late, have left me disappointed. Therefore, the prospect of seeing any film that pushes the genre a little bit, is enough of a hook to draw me in. Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload (Charles Dance) to stay at his home in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her - until late one night, John's impulsive daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) unexpectedly comes by to shake things up. Sarah's proper English reserve is turned upside down by Julie's reckless, sexually charged freespirit. Sarah soon finds that Julie is influencing, not only her creativity, but her life outlook as well. Directed and co written by François Ozon, along with Emmanuelle Bernheim, Swimming Pool, offers plenty of sexual eroticism and intriguing dynamics--but not much mystery. Not in a typical sense anyway...I believe the film is more a psychological study than thriller. I have no problem with that--I just think the film was marketed and advertised incorrectly. To understand what I mean, all you have to do, is wath the theatrical trailer. If you know that going in though, there's still plenty to enjoy. The performances are top notch. The eroticism is bold, but as I write this, I don't think it is misused here, as some have claimed. The DVD offers around 12 minutes of unused footage, that doesn't add much to the film, but makes an interesting supplement. Poster and photo galleries and the aforementioned theatrical trailer top off the disc's extras. I have only seen the the unrated version of this misadvertised, yet compelling look at sensuality, sexuality, and the mind and how it works. Quirky. Great to look at. And well made. Recomended (just not as a thriller).
Rating:
Summary: If you like character studies this film is fabulous ....
Review: What a wonderfully suprising movie. Charlotte Rampling plays the burned out 50'ish British fiction writer who is given an opportunity to use her publishers French mansion for a rejuvinating rest and escape from London and the care of her aging father. The twist of course is the unexpected arrival of Julie, the publisher's 'black sheep' daughter who makes no bones 'forgive the pun' about her predatory sex life with practically all of the men in the village. After overcoming total resentment at Julies interruption of her 'tofu eating' days of quiet relaxation Rampling begins to vicariously enjoy the sexual activities of the young girl and turn her 'authors' mind and eyes on the activities as fodder for a new book. Interestly, and surprising to the viewer, the book is not really a love story or a sex exploitation story but turns into a thriller.... What a wonderfully gentle and masterfully written plot twist that is totally absent from many of today's movies where the end is predestined after the first 5 minutes of the movie! A fair warning ... this is not a Hollywood thriller so if you epect chases, blood and guts etc etc you will be bored bored bored so spend your money on another movie.....
Rating:
Summary: My view on "Swimming Pool"
Review: "Swimming Pool," directed by Francois Ozon, is a provocative mystery surrounding a summer house in southern France and the two women staying there. The famous writer, Sarah Morton, is working on a story in her publisher's French villa, when unsuspectingly, his promiscuous daughter, Julie, shows up. Sarah does not like Julie at all when she arrives and thinks of her as a nuisance to her concentration. The mystery unfolds when the beautiful Julie kills a man, and the two women try to cover it up. The ending leaves the viewer somewhat confused, yet relieved.
This film, with its mysterious plot and sexy scenes, draws in the audience without fail. The character, Julie, is another big help in keeping the audience's attention. Julie, with all her bath-suit/nude scenes, lures the viewers to her body and presence. It is like she knows she is being watched and lusted after by the viewers, therefore, increasing her appeal. John Berger explains this idea of women being seen as objects for the male specatator in his book, Ways of Seeing. He also explains that when a woman, like Julie, is being observed when she is naked, she is not truly naked. Julie is nude because we are the spectators watching her. Also, Julie, in many ways is like the perfect Barbie as described by Ingeborg Majer-O'Sickey in her article, "The Aesthetic Commodification of Feminity in Barbie Magazine." Like Barbie, she has the ultimate "perfect female figure" with long limbs, blonde hair, luscious lips, sultry eyes, and a freeness in her spirit. This film constructs a beautiful woman whom every other woman wants to be like so men will lust after them as well. Despite its sex appeal, this film's mysterious plot remains suspenseful and appealing until the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Swimming Pool, A HO-HUM attempt at mystery and suspense.
Review: This film was one of the top "snoozers" I've been duped into watching. The portrayal of characters was only so-so, Rampling is not very convincing in her role and the dregs that are brought about for partners in sex scenes do not match the characters. I learned little about film enjoyment, was not thrilled at the snail's pace of the story and found the overall story and film quite boring. To attempt to put this film on the level of a Hitchcock thriller would require some serious drinking beforehand. I recommend this one be missed unless one has "nothing" else to do and has not reached the peak of boredom.
Rating:
Summary: Very Overrated.
Review: It is not the movie that you will expect given the description.
Rating:
Summary: Nicely done indeed
Review: This movie used the whole "reality" bending genre in a brillant way that left this viewer transfixed. There were sooo many avenues and possibilities at the end which made for lively discussions and interpretations. There were just so many levels to this film that were pure genius. Overall plot of older woman novelist who is a vacationing in the countryside of France and trying to rediscover her inner muse is layered with so many fascinating subplots that I cannot say enough good things about this film. It's about envying others, taking stock of your life, having the short end of the stick in a relationship, how "youth" is wasted on the young, selling yourself out, the wild abandonment of being young, and just how far you're willing to go to get something you want.
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