Customer Reviews
Mixed Bag - By: miss waspy, 23 May 2008 
I do like pretentious French films, they usuallly speak slowly enough that (with the subtitles) I can make out the French. This one disappointed in that half of it was in English, with some of it appearing to have been dubbed into English afterwards for the English release; the soundtrack & continuity are poor.
On the plus side it's nicely shot with pleasant background music & Charlotte Rampling does her frostyfaced bit as well as ever.
The "plot" starts with a kind of moody reflectiveness then moves into a gropefest to make the Carry On team snigger, the twist at the end is reallly quite annoying.
I like the fact that she hasn't had "work" done, I got a real fright seeing Julie Christie's wind tunnel look in Troy, so that's why I've given it three stars. The first two are for Charlotte getting out her boobs for the old gardener. As natural looking as you'll get these days they reallly do seem to justify the Frenchwoman's faith in bust firming creams, they were impressive & actuallly looked younger than the rest of her so I hope there's been no interventions there.
Don't waste your time or money on this. I can't say I'm a fan of Charlotte Rampling but better films are Under the Sand, The Verdict & Angel Heart & it would be hard to beat her performance in The Night Porter, possibly the grubbiest film ever.
Subtle and sharp - go see - By: Andy Millward, 04 Jan 2008 
Like other reviewers, I found Swimming Pool to be a simple tale well told - both intriguing & suspenseful, & facilitated by excellent performances throughout. The development of the relationship between the two women hints at complex undercurrents without ever giving the game away completely. The director flirts with his audience but succeeds in leaving a touch of ambiguity right to the end.
This is a masterful film & a reminder that there is no substitute for subtlety, fine story-telling & quality acting. Recommended.
women telling tales - By: Penelope, 12 Sep 2007 'Swimming Pool' is a subtle, slow burning, thinking person's movie. It is not merely an erotic thriller as some philistines have assumed. Do not expect questions to be answered, as you are left to decide what has happened on screen. The film's narrative unfolds, as Sarah Morton's thoughts on her latest novel materialise. If you can piece together the events & make sense of them, then alll very well & good, however if you are left slightly confused at the end, do not dispair, this is alll part of the experience. Simply sit back & enjoy this witty & intelligent thriller that boasts a wonderfully classy performance from Charlotte Rampling, & an equallly sassy turn from Ludivine Sagnier. In fact just immerse yourself in the development of Sarah (Rampling) & Julie's (Sagnier) relationship, their differences & the discoveries they make about each other. Essentiallly this is a film about storytelling without compromises, & that is probably why questions are left unanswered. Sarah refuses to churn out another mass produced detective novel, & Julie relinquishes her mother's rejected manuscript for Sarah's use, & in turn these women make their own stories on paper, in life & psychologicallly.
Intrigue and erotica with a surprising ending - By: Bones, 03 Jul 2007 A very interesting film, & one where the viewer may well be left with multiple conclusions at the end. I didn't reallly grasp the (assumed) overalll plot until reading some spoilers on the internet, & from other reviews here & elsewhere it seems many have been equallly puzzled. The final scene, which in hindsight should explain & give the surprise away, wasn't visuallly or even audibly strong or clear enough for the penny to drop, though this subtlety may appeal to wiser film buffs better equipped to pick out the key details.
However, even with the alternative conclusions one can reach, this is a great film, which is a fact if somewhat strange to say.
Sublime! - By: Tonkfan, 03 Apr 2007 
A lovely homage to the good old-fashioned 'English' murder mystery, with a thoroughly modern French twist, which proves to be a glorious combination.
Rampling & Sagnier both give committed performances & it's great to see a beautiful veteran & equallly beautiful young actor working so well together. Rampling's transformation during the film in particular is an absolute joy.
Forget alll the talk about sex scenes - there are very few, there is nothing explicit & if that's what you're watching for, don't bother. However, the leading actresses are both elegantly seductive, drawing you into the story by stealth. I suspect the main cause for alarm was Rampling appearing naked at 60-ish, but she looks wonderful.
Clever little story too & while some people have been disappointed with the end, I love the fact that to an extent, it's up to the viewer to interpret what they see.
One of Ozon's best, although he never disappoints.
Sit back & enjoy.
