A Bigger Splash (2015) User Reviews

Great performances and moments that contribute to very little...

[LiamLovesMovies · 6/10 · 23 February 2016]

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.

Well, there's nudity at least

[ofumalow · 5/10 · 13 May 2016]

The director's prior "I Am Love" ultimately transcended its more pretentious, arbitrary aspects with a certain feeling of epic emotionality. But this time around there isn't enough substance or originality in other departments to detract attention from how...well, pretentious and arbitrary many of his directorial choices are. To an extent there's interest in simply watching the well-cast stars go through their paces: Fiennes plays one of his most extroverted characters; Swinton has magnetism as usual in a contrasting figure (contrasting because her rock-star has to be silent while recovering from surgery--but a laughable flashback where she sings in a recording studio blows any belief that we're watching a credible musical talent); Schoenaerts is attractive and earnest; Johnson is good playing a petulant brat who uses her sexual allure in obvious (yet successful) ways. If you've ever wanted to see any of these actors full-frontal, here's your big chance, since there's a lot of nudity here that doesn't seem to exist for much reason beyond producing a "Look, s/he's taken it all off, too!" reaction.

But after a while you realize that as colorfully played as these figures are, none of them are drawn with enough depth to be genuinely interesting, and in fact they're largely annoying--to each other, and to us. It's predictable that the 2nd, vaguely incestuous "couple" who make an invasive surprise visit are going to disrupt the idyll and emotional security of the main couple who have hoped to escape just such company. It's predictable that there will be infidelity, and that sooner or later something violent is going to happen. Yet it's very hard to care about any of this.

That the director thinks his actors/characters are endlessly fascinating is obvious--otherwise why on Earth would he stage scenes like the one in which two of them invade a karaoke bar, and though neither of them can sing very well, we're supposed to believe they quickly have half the island populace raptly watching their performance? Judging from "I Am Love" and this, I've got to assume the director himself is a product of jet-setting wealth who automatically assumes the wealthy and privileged are special, fascinating creatures. Yet "Bigger Splash" inadvertently provides the truthful end to that sentence: "...only to each other."

In terms of image and editing, the film is flashy in often pointless, mannered ways that to my mind are neither beautiful or interesting...just show-offy and empty, the flourishes of a director who thinks flamboyant stylistic gestures = a true "artist," without worrying what they actually MEAN, if anything. (He's made a documentary about Bertolucci, and while the latter has certainly made some uneven, mannered work, he comes by instinctively everything that Guadagnino does in an imitative, pretentious way.) Of course, some will be taken in by it, since some people will always fall for Art that labels itself as such.

For all the talent it deploys, though, "Bigger Splash" is ultimately just a particularly pretentious variation on "erotic thriller" material, without much real tension, and certainly without any real substance. It's not terrible, but it's ultimately pretty trivial.

By the way, if you want a laugh, read Luca Guadagnino's Wikipedia bio. It's one of those Wiki entries that sounds like it was written by the subject (and/or his publicist), as it solemnly gushes over his "curiosity and passion for diverse artistic disciplines" including the company he founded that "conceives and implements luxury communications for luxury brands." I didn't know about THAT before, but it sure isn't surprising that he'd have a background in high-end advertising, the center of the universe for pretentious stylistic gestures about nothing.

While the film is hit-and-miss, Ralph Fiennes is a total riot.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 7/10 · 17 October 2015]

While she rests her voice after throat surgery, a David Bowie-esque rock legend, Marianne (Tilda Swinton), and her documentary-filmmaker boyfriend of 6 years, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), relax in the remote Italian paradise of Pantelleria. Her record producer, mutual friend of both and former flame of Marianne, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), brings his estranged daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), to spend time with the couple and, mostly, interrupt the vacation. Tensions flare as Harry's ulterior motives to steal Marianne back after having 'given her' to Paul, while Penelope's relationships with her father and Paul come into question. Jacques Deray adapted this story once before in his 1969 film La Piscine, but Luca Guadagnino's 2015 iteration relies on its sharp sense for revelations of secrets and lies to draw us into its narrative and wrap us up in the impression of its characters. It works for the most part, but largely due to the efforts of the talented, committed cast.

It's films like A Bigger Splash that make us appreciate the largely underserved Ralph Fiennes. He showed comic potential as another Harry in In Bruges, and just last year his dry wit anchored the ensemble cast of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but he's a riot in A Bigger Splash. Having not seen any of Guadagnino's previous films, I wasn't expecting this to be so playfully comedic at first as it initially focuses on the awkwardness of the situation. Fortunately, as most of this is sourced from Fiennes's boorish behavior, he absolutely radiates off the screen, singing, dancing, and frequently stripping bare naked to swim. While this wouldn't have gotten Oscar attention even if it were still scheduled to release in 2015 with a more forgiving release strategy, a consecutive Best Actor in a Comedy Golden Globe nomination wouldn't have been out of the question, as Fiennes is hitting a new stride this decade which, somewhere down the line, should equate to the awards momentum he rode back in the 90s.

Tilda Swinton, an equally reliable talent, nearly measures up to Fiennes, but her character calls for a dialed-down approach that she's cut her teeth in already. As her character recovers from throat surgery, she's a near silent participant in most scenes, except when it's absolutely necessary to whisper or in its few and admittedly unnecessary flashbacks, which just paint what we already suspected rather than tell us anything new. Even silently, the nuances on her face are expertly controlled and she is the key to the balance of the heightened tone and raw emotion of the film. Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, this decade's new kids in town, are certainly out of their depth compared to Swinton and Fiennes. While Schoenaerts appears convincingly irritated, he doesn't have the conviction to hit the high notes his character requires later. Johnson is firmly on the sidelines for the most part, but given a better film than Fifty Shades of Grey, she's guilty of chewing on every juicy line she gets to the point of indulgence. Both are mostly good, but notably outshined by their experienced counterparts.

However solid its cast may be, the film does struggle with a choppy edit. It's littered with distracting continuity errors, unnecessary jump cuts and unmotivated closeups and push-ins– the latter being mostly on delectable food and, of course, pools of water, though this may just be flourishes of Guadagnino's typical style. It captures the therapeutic atmosphere of its environment, and with the frequent nudity by its main foursome, the sensuality far outweighs the darkness that unfurrows in its latter passages. It takes a big leap of faith in its third act but it mostly suffers from a lack of conclusiveness than its thrills and tonal shift. While the entangled web of these characters' pasts is intriguing and engaging, it doesn't appear to have a consistent point to make outside of the nature of temptation and recovery, two well travelled paths. A Bigger Splash is ultimately a mixed bag of hits and misses, but it'll find a passionate niche that will embrace it for its more tantalizing sequences.

7/10

Read more @ Serving Cinema (http://www.servingcinema.com/)

Interesting, then obnoxious and annoying

[Red_Identity · 24 June 2016]

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.

Splashing

[sol- · 6/10 · 11 April 2016]

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?

Beautifully photographed Sicilian landscape dwarfs four small lives and the mess they create.

[CineMuseFilms · 6/10 · 20 March 2016]

The getaway-retreat scenario is a common film device for creating a chaotic crossroad where divergent character types can bring their shady pasts, chronic problems and deviant desires. It works well in the melodrama genre because people act differently when brought together, especially in a luxurious or exotic location where they can let go and be who they really are: recent examples include Youth (2015) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). A Bigger Splash (2016) does this using a beautiful Sicilian hillside villa with a prominent pool for baring bodies and souls. To keep the plot line taut there are only four actors who play out in two pairs and the chemistry is anything but harmonious.

An almost silent Marianne (played by Tilda Swinton) is a once-famous rock star who is recuperating from throat surgery with her former alcoholic boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts). They couple happily all over the villa until her extroverted and still-hungry former flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) suddenly turns up with his sullen and sultry teenage daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). The tension lines appear quickly and the dynamics morph seamlessly towards an erotic thriller. Harry and daughter are overly physical with each other, Paul is derailed by the teenager's libido, Marianne dabbles with forbidden fruit, while the men circle each other with malice. Harry's use of his daughter as bait turns out to make him the catch while the beautifully photographed Sicilian landscape dwarfs four small lives and the mess they create.

All of the actors deserve accolades but Fiennes stands out for his ability to plausibly and expressively switch from manic exuberance to emotional vulnerability. He drives the story forward both narratively and as its primary entertainer. Swinton and Johnson are perfect for their respective positions on the femme fatale spectrum, and Schoenaerts captures what many will say is the most complex role of this story. With fine acting, classic landscape photography, a great soundtrack, and an engaging story to tell, one would expect that the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. But this circular tale simply leads back to where it starts and leaves a vague feeling they have not gone far. As with so many films, it will be judged on its final moments.

don't ever invite your ex to spend a holiday with you, it has proved to be lethally dangerous

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 11 August 2016]

In the vein of Jacques Deray's unstimulating LA PISCINE (1969) and François Ozon's tantalizingly cagey SWIMMING POOL (2003), Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino's much anticipated follow-up of his family embroilment haute-coutrue drama, I AM LOVE (2009), A BIGGER SPLASH (the name hints a more adept reference of British artist David Hockney's pop art painting), debuted in last year's Venice, it centers on a close-knitted quartet's moral tug-of-war which sets its scenic background in the remote Italian island, Pantelleria, and swimming pool, again just like in I AM LOVE, functions as the metaphor for imminent man-made danger (Guadagnino cannot swim in real life).

Marianne Lane (Swinton), a famed British rock star, enjoys her recuperation from a recent throat operation in Pantelleria with her boyfriend Paul De Smelt, a Belgian documentary filmmaker (Schoenaerts, finally returns to a role which he can act with his own nationality), but the unplanned arrival of Marianne's ex-boyfriend, the UK music producer Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) and his American daughter Penelope Lanier (Johnson), interrupts the lovey-dovey's intimate holiday. Marianne, who is not supposed to talk for at least two weeks, kindly invites Harry and Penelope to stay with them, and the ensuing days, the initial harmonious equilibrium will little by little be encroached by an irritable tension, since Harry has his own agenda for his visit - to win back his muse Marianne.

This is a Ralph Fiennes whom audience have never seen before, his Harry, is a hyperactive, incessantly garrulous sport, as if he is perpetually under the influence (and maybe he is), runs polarized from extremely buddy-buddy to presumptuously infuriating, that is Harry, a force of no halfway compromise, his intoxicating moves under the throbbing rhythm of The Rolling Stones' EMOTIONAL RESCUE challenge another inexplicably addictive dance routines which Oscar Isaac stuns in EX MACHINA (2015). And how much Harry can one stomach? The film will give its answer.

Besides, there is some serious business to be done (for Harry, I mean), and pieces together from the infrequent flashbacks, audience will be informed that Paul is Harry's friend at the beginning, it is Harry who introduces him to Marianne, and no wonder Harry holds the grudge about being usurped like that (despite of his own philandering nature), but the point is, Marianne is really happy with Paul (explicitly shown by Paul's female-satisfying gesture in the chamber), maybe due to her voice-loss, she hasn't clearly manifested that the only reason she invites Harry to stay is for old time's sake, and hopes that their friendship remains, but in Harry's book, her hospitality betrays a promising signal, he is motivated, tests the water from Paul's reaction and revels in his street- smart gregariousness, until Marianne has to literally spell out her resolution in utterance, which effectively closes the case.

In another pair, Paul and Penelope, the latter is the enigmatic variant in the quartet, who has never revealed her intentions, is she under the command of Harry to seduce Paul, to undermine their relationship, or is she really Harry's daughter? Since Harry has only known her existence for over a one-year span, there is a soldering sexual tension between her and Harry in the karaoke, is it incest-arousing or a set-up to agitate the bystanders (namely Marianne in this case)? Or what has happened between her and Paul in their lake hike? Guadagnino habitually leaves many a lacuna like these to leaven the atmosphere of mystery and temptation, while the topical immigrant crisis, looms large in the background mostly and for once, precipitates an encounter unexpectedly, until cunningly exploited as a possible justification for the unpleasant death, which happens in the swimming pool and is closed with a polished zooming-out aviation shot, overall, the film's cinematography never fails to leave the island's unique topography untapped.

The quartet core together concocts a palpable interplay between each of them, Ralph Fiennes is the MVP simply because he is all over the place and wondrous to behold under a fully liberated context, and at the same time his performance knowingly triggers a tint of abstruseness which belies the nature of every human soul; Swinton, to quote Penelope's offhand remark, "a very domesticated rock star", hemmed herself in Marianne's own verbal barrier and retreats to a less idiosyncratic realization of a woman in desperation to express her emotions through means other than words, she might not be convincing as a Rock-N-Roll superstar, but surely her Marianne is a woman who doesn't settle for second-rated commodity.

Matthias Schoenaerts, as solid and desirable as one can divine, seems to be typecast as the even- tempered lover with a burly figure serving well as a bodyguard to the woman he loves, the truth is, his Paul is supposedly the most dangerous and unpredictable one among the four, yet, his barbaric spasm only materialises with a lukewarm thrill; meanwhile, Dakota Johnson, on the contrary, pulls off a staggering impression out of her cool-girl veneer, apart from the gratuitous nudity (so is for Mr. Fiennes), her breakdown in the end sparks off more empathy and tells more of her character than we give the credit for.

The ending, with a massively anti-climatic caricature of the a celebrity's fandom, seems to be an odd choice to close a sturdily built character drama which scars has clearly forever marred those who have survived, and a takeaway advice: don't ever invite your ex to spend a holiday with you, it has proved to be lethally dangerous.

good plot ! dakota johnson is just bearable as always

[mehobulls · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

Guadagnino's take on the portrayal of the privileged. Interesting and exciting plotline, with occasional cringeful acting. Eccentric characters and lustful mood. Swinton and Fiennes steal the stage while Dakota and Matthias fight hard to shine. Some interesting cinematography - a few dramatic shots, while at times becoming exhausting. Music goes both ways too - confusing sometimes, with moments of perfection.

Fiennes at his Fiennest

[littlemartinarocena · 8/10 · 12 February 2018]

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

A masterclass in character development

[colinlomasox · 8/10 · 7 March 2016]

World famous singer Marianne Lane (Swinton), temporarily mute from a recent throat operation, is enjoying a relaxing holiday with her doting film-maker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Schoenaerts) on a remote idyllic Italian island. Much to their initial annoyance, Lane's manic music producer and ex-boyfriend Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) turns up with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson) to gate- crash the tranquillity.

A Bigger Splash is a character development masterclass by Guadagnino. Over the first hour, the film gives everything to build up the intricacies of each character's attributes so that every subsequent variation and elaboration feels exhilarating. This is a film about people and relationships; how different associations can sometimes coalesce yet at other times grate, how secrets and history must awkwardly co-exist with the fantasies of perfection.

Fiennes is simply superb. He absolutely nails Hawkes extrovert nature, perfectly mixing it with the selfish dark underbelly which success invariably requires. Swinton marvellously continues to build her rapidly emerging reputation with a multifaceted character that says less than a hundred words throughout the entire running time. Both Schoenaerts and Johnson are solid but are unluckily eclipsed by Fiennes and Swinton's sparkle. In fact, such is Fiennes utter dominance early on, there feels a distinct possibility he will overshadow not only the other actors, but the film itself. Fortunately, as time passes the rest of the cast get their chance in the sun and, to their credit, pull it back just before it becomes the Ralph Fiennes Show.

The friction between De Smedt and Hawkes is always at the forefront; the protective grounded boyfriend against the vociferous music producer ex. Hawkes tempts Lane to speak at the dinner table, De Smedt knocks him back, Hawkes dances to a track he produced for the Rolling Stones, De Smedt pulls Lane closer on the sofa. It's the subtle fragments of both loving and sexual tension which keep the flow of A Bigger Splash so thrilling.

When the plot eventually makes its move, sides are taken, suspicions are rife, relationships are both strained and solidified. Only then do you realise just how well the film has branded its characters into your hide, and how desperate you are to know the outcome.

Until the last half hour or so not much really happens in A Bigger Splash but you simply don't notice, such is the utter delight in watching a great cast develop complex characters with a wonderfully astute script.

Again another remake

[paul-ceulemans · 7/10 · 18 July 2020]

This time of the French 1969's La Piscine with Alain Delon. Are the filmmakers out of books or inspiration ?

Dreadful

[nikicianciola-702-657633 · 2/10 · 28 May 2016]

I'm clearly in the minority here, but I absolutely hated this movie. Every character were annoying and not likable at all. I'm not really sure what the point of the movie was. I kept thinking it would get better the longer I stayed, but it didn't. The only redeemable thing about this movie was the lovely Tilda Swinton, and her beautiful wardrobe. Sadly, with no voice in the movie, she was still the most exciting character to watch.

Dakota Johnson (or her character at least) was just horrible. Tried to come off as young and sexy, but was just boring and dull. I don't really know if she is a talented actress because of the roles she has chosen as of late.

Either way, I do not recommend this movie to anyone!

A big waste of time

[Gordon-11 · 24 July 2016]

This film tells the story of a rock star that is recovering from a throat surgery, and her filmmaker boyfriend going to Italy for a holiday. Her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend join them, and things get strange as emotions are stirred.

Given the great cast of Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, together with rising stars Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, I expected great things from "A Bigger Splash". However, I was thoroughly bored just fifteen minutes in, and it did not improve at all throughout the film. All we see is the characters constantly getting naked, walking around aimlessly and doing nothing. The story is non existent, and if there actually is a story, then it is very poorly told an executed. Gosh, the film even manages to make an Italian resort town dull, run down and unattractive. I wish I could have my time back.

They kept splashing although I'm not sure if it was getting bigger.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 8 May 2016]

A rock star on vacation with her significant other gets a call from a past romance who interrupts their peace and disrupts their lives.

The purpose of the movie was not lost on me, despite the filmmakers being far too subtle about it, but half way through the movie I realized that I no longer cared, even after the climax of the movie occurred I had no real feelings either way.

I started out liking Tilda Swinton as a David Bowie inspired Rock star who just had a surgery that could end her career. After a while, however I just did not fully get the point. Though I was sold on her relationship with Paul, her much younger documentary filmmaker lover, I was not sold on the relationship between her and Ralph Fiennes and I needed that sell.

Ralph Fiennes plays a record producer who cross between man child and wild child. He gave all he got into the character but it was not working for me. In fact it may have been too distracting.

The character that did it for me was Penelope, the record producer's long lost daughter played by Dakota Johnson, who sexiness was far better used in this movie than in 50 Shades of Grey.

The movie seems to go nowhere and is pointless. Then it gets to the point when it does finally have a narrative, but by this point, I don't care enough for anyone for it to matter.

If you want to see Ralph Fiennes' naked, which I didn't, but it really is the only reason to watch this one.

This does not bode well for Suspiria

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 4 November 2018]

I have seen this before but was keen to remind myself how it measured up to Jacques Deray's 1969 original with Alain Delon and Rome Schneider, particularly bearing in mind this is directed by Luca Guadarnino whose remake of Suspiria is about to open. At first the heady mix of characters, run rough shod over by Ralph Fiennes, is interesting and although nobody seems likeable, to be forced to be in this company has some potency - bit like being on a group holiday with people you don't like but are going to have to get along with. Its all okay but Fiennes over the top performance grates more and more and with Tilda Swinton playing the most unlikeliest of characters (and without use of her voice!) things begin to become more than a little waring. On top of this the thing goes on far too long and with a ham fisted attempt to make the ongoing immigrant crisis relevant the cause is lost. This does not bode well for Suspiria.

only for the scenery and photography

[expe67 · 6/10 · 10 September 2016]

Ralph seemed like a nerdy English tourist.although i think Tilda is a good actress i found not one of the four of them erotic.it is an erotic plot after all.the scenery was very appealing but the sex appeal of the actors not.even Matthias and Dakota who are young and reasonably good looking they were entirely unappealing in this movie.don't know why.story does not climax.just..things happen.i think the idea is to find their vacation interesting.not a good movie.but i watched it till the very end.nice photography OK rhythm and as i said appealing scenery.and sorry Tilda but you are no Romy Schneider.fighting over her...

A film for awards season

[euroGary · 8/10 · 18 October 2015]

A remake of Jacques Deray's 'La Piscine' (1969), 'A Bigger Splash' has attracted some big names: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts make it a star-spangled vehicle indeed.

Recuperating rock star Marianne Lane (Swinton) is on holiday with her lover Paul (Schoenaerts) when their peace and quiet is destroyed by that worst of all afflictions: the uninvited guest. In this case it's Harry Hawkes (Fiennes), Marianne's former producer and lover, who wants to show off his newly-discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson). As the quartet - joined for a time by two more women whom Harry takes it upon himself to invite - cavort under the Italian sun, conversations are held, secrets revealed and betrayals occur.

This is very much an actors' film, and Fiennes does a splendid job as the over-enthusiastic, noisy Harry; I wanted to punch him after about five minutes. Johnson does her best with the standard femme fatale role, and Schoenaerts is perfectly competent. Star of the show, however, is definitely Swinton, who has very few lines (her character is supposed to refrain from speaking after a throat operation) but as she's in most scenes is required to get Marianne's opinions across through facial expression, miming, and sheer force of personality, which she manages splendidly.

This is an engrossing film, with an interesting plot, good acting and lovely scenery (and not just of the countryside variety, either - all four leads get their kit off at some point, although I could have done with fewer such scenes from Mr Fiennes - he's in relatively good nick for a chap in his fifties, but things are starting to sag!) It's strange, though, that an Italian/French co-production is mainly in the English language!

Excess of hormones impedes brain work

[PipAndSqueak · 6/10 · 21 February 2016]

Timeless Tilda Swinton manages to save this film from being just soft porn. As an ageing rock chick, she needs to recuperate after voice surgery and goes to a quiet holiday spot where she is well known.We never do know whether she is well known from frequent previous visits to the island or not as this is among other issues that don't quite chime. So, she's having a nice little time with her long term partner quietly making the most of the amenities before the weather changes. What she doesn't need is a loud-mouth oaf to descend upon her bringing with him some unknown high-on-hormones girl who claims to be the oaf's daughter and much younger than she claims to be. Oh, give it a rest....this is so preposterous, but, as we are to find out, necessary for the final denouement.....Yah, you've worked it out. Not necessary to go see this flesh revealing mock-up of a troubled triad for relationship insight, (there is none), but you will see a lot of phallus, tit and backside. I guess you might as well use old assets whilst they're still in good nick. I guess this film will appeal most to those who keep antique cars and such like. Other than that you may just find it moderately titillating or irritating according to your interests.

What did I watch?

[jgo-11812 · 3/10 · 29 August 2018]

This is the second Luca Guadagnino film I've watched, the first being Call Me By Your Name. I've come to the conclusion that Guadagnino is highly pretentious. Watching both of these films I get the impression that when he was making them his thought process was "I'm going to make a cerebral, artsy movie" rather than letting greatness come naturally. I'm a fan of Tilda Swinton, but her performance here was awful. I understand the circumstances before she took on the role, but if she didn't feel up to it, she shouldn't have taken it. Matthias Schoenaerts and Ralph Fiennes are the stars of the movie, and both of their performances are exceptional, especially the former's. Dakota Johnson was just being Dakota Johnson the whole time.

The film had a lot of potential, but it never quite fulfilled that potential. Reading about all the changes that were made to the story make me think that if those changes hadn't been made, it would've been a much better film. Pacing, I think, is an issue for Guadagnino. Certain ideas are introduced but not elaborated on, while others that are not that important or relevant to the story get stretched out. If the running time were cut by 20-30 minutes, it would probably be a better, more efficient telling of the almost non-existent story.

Swimmingly good.

[JohnDeSando · 18 May 2016]

The swimming pool as motif is not unknown in arty films, and the lively one in the intriguing, complicated, and sexy A Bigger Splash is no different in that literary regard. While The Graduate's pool is a transparent vehicle for displaying Benjamin's desires and mistakes, Marianne's (Tilda Swinton) pool in sunny Italy hides meanings just as the dust-laden sirocco will hide the land.

Marianne's voice is mending from her rock singing, appropriately silencing her when her ex-love, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), arrives at the Italian seaside town where she and love Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) are vacationing. With Harry bringing his nubile daughter, Penny (Dakota Johnson), we know trouble is brewing and it's bound not to turn out well.

Although that seething danger is the stuff of Romantic melodrama, director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich apply a sophisticated undertow that goes even as far as Electra and plain old Shakespearean jealousy. Yet it takes almost an hour for that good drama to take off, the first part being a long character-establishing segment that is, however, necessary to explain the denouement.

With feelings unspoken, and pasts hidden from view, only the pool seems ready to accept the naked truth, besides the multiple naked bodies anyway (be ready for a naked middle-aged Fiennes). The sexual tension among the four principals is palpable yet so gently at times brought to the pool and the surrounding gorgeous landscape that you couldn't be faulted to think that nothing is really happening.

Well, it isn't really until the last act when it almost feels like a different movie because of the crime element that creeps in like the pauses of the principals' speeches. With the presence on the sound track of the Stones' Moon is Up and Emotional Rescue, rest assured you won't sleep through the crime nor, for that matter, the nudity and sex prefiguring it.

A Bigger Splash is a sexy melodrama that goes even as far as Electra and plain old Shakespearean jealousy. It's a kaleidoscopic experience of love set against gorgeous landscape and actors. As usual, a breakdown of communication is the ultimate culprit.

It probably has a lot to give if you look closely.

[GiraffeDoor · 6/10 · 8 January 2020]

A strangely hypnotic and disquieting movie that creates a feather-light sense of dread a long time before anything particularly negative happens.

I suspect the characters are very nuanced but it was a but lost on me. They're certainly pretty charismatic and you can kind of lose yourself in its steady rhythms like a lava lamp, with its casual glimpses into lost humans or just for the way it seems to be some kind of holiday wish fulfilment.

The thing didn't make a particular coherent whole for me but I'm happy to acknowledge it was a bit over my head. It's a slow and breezy burn in the Mediterranean sun where rich people very gradually lose their cool.

I feel that what SHOULD have been the climax of the movie was not the seen as such by the writers and they kept going for another 20ish minutes in a way that adds nothing.

So good, and so bad

[ukgreek · 6/10 · 29 January 2022]

There's such brilliance here -- the acting, the character development, the stunning cinematography... But to frame this story as about a manipulative teenage girl who wreaks havoc on the lives of three arguably dysfunctional adults is not short of misogynist--I don't know what else to call it. Actually, one of them, Fiennes' character, is super dysfunctional, and not to make light of his serious problems, but he makes some terrible decisions. They all do. Yes, the girl does have big (yet understandable) issues, but she didn't cause their problems or their incrediby immature decisions. I'm not sure what Guadagnino was thinking, there's no excuse for it. Really disappointing.

One scene can save a film

[jromanbaker · 6/10 · 6 January 2021]

It is good sometimes to have a mini-retrospective of certain film directors. Put off by the coy, almost closeted feeling of sexuality in ' Call Me By Your Name ' I decided to see more of Luca Guadagnino's films. Amused slightly by Tilda Swinton working with him twice I watched ' I Am Love ' ( a disaster on almost every level ) and then with definite trepidation took on ' A Bigger Splash ' with its very loud hints of the Hockney film and painting, and distant memories of ' La Piscine '. For the first hour of it and some I was not splashed at all, but amazed at yet again the trivia of lazy rich people doing strictly nothing to add to the world in any way. Swinton looked good and acted mainly with her facial gestures and not with her voice ( silenced by too much very bad singing ) and Ralph Fiennes giving a deafening performance of high Camp; sound and fury signifying nothing. Only Matthias Schoeneaert ( I am not checking the spelling ) was quiet both in body and expression and looking a bit bored with it all. He probably wasn't but I hoped he was. Then things took an Operatic plunge to music from Verdi's ' Falstaff ' Act 3 in the swimming pool which had previously given endless boredom to this viewer. And the scene was actually not only good, but strikingly good lashing out with suppressed homoerotic savagery and visual strength. I was amazed at seeing at last a truly well structured scene and bowled over by it I raised my 2 rating to 6. The last part of this long, long cinematic experience also had its good moments with a fine ending. Guadagnino's film gave yet again another good finale and perhaps that is what he does best. I came away from this self imposed retrospective with the impression that eventually ( perhaps ) he would make a truly original film from a truly original scenario and wow us all. But I do recommend he cuts out on superficial characters and vulgar scenes of luxury food and rich parasites with servants. He will no doubt not read this and I fear my hopes will be dashed on the rocks of yet again a bad Operatic film. Maybe he should listen to Berg's ' Wozzeck ' and have a St. Paul Damascus moment and realise that the poor are richer than the rich. This is unlikely as all good things are, but I live in hope.

Complex relationship drama splashes in southern Italy

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 30 May 2016]

"A Bigger Splash" (2015 release from Italy; 124 min.) brings the story of Marianne, an aging rook star with possible career-ending vocal problems, and her lover Paul. As the movie opens, after a brief glimpse of a stadium show fronted by Marianne, we find them relaxing at the pool in southern Italy. It isn't long before Harry shows up. Harry is Marianne's erstwhile lover and producer, and the person who introduced Marianne and Paul to each other. To complicate matters further, Harry has brought along his 22 yr. old daughter Penny. To Paul's surprise, Marianna invited Harry and Penny to stay with them. At this point we're 15 minutes into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from write-director Luca Guadagnino, who previously brought us the gorgeous "I Am Love" (2010. Here, he examines the ins and outs of the various relationships, although primarily the triangle of Marianne, Paul and Harry. In the movie, we learn through flashbacks certain things that happened to these characters over the years. Further complicating things (other than the presence of Penny) is that Marianne can at best whisper a few things, as she must rest her voice on doctor's orders. Given the context of the movie, music plays a huge role in it. The key scene is when Harry puts "Moon Is Up" on the stereo, a track from the Stones' Voodoo Lounge album which Harry produced, and gives us a great side story as to what he told Charlie Watts to do on that track. It is then followed by another Stones song, "Emotional Rescue", which Harry sings and dances to for several minutes (the movie also features two Stones songs from Tattoo You: "Heave" and "Worried About You", the latter being sung in a karaoke bar scene. Given all of these Stones moments, could the movie's title be a reference to their album "A Bigger Bang"? If it sounds like Harry is mentioned a lot, it is not coincidental. From the moment Ralph Fiennes appears as Harry, he plays his role with such fervor and energy that he simple blows everyone else from the screen, sorry Tilda Swinton (as Marianne) and Matthias Schoenaerts (as Paul). Dakota Johnson as daughter Penny is great, you can feel the sexual tension building up when she's around. (I have not seen "Fifty Shades of Grey" so I can't compare how her role here is similar to or different from that movie. All I know is that she did great in "A Bigger Splash".) Last but certainly not least, we have the gorgeous setting in sun-drenched southern Italy as almost a separate character in the move (with the high winds, and also the migration wave referenced and later clearly visible).

"A Bigger Splash" opened this Memorial Day weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. I had seen the trailer and couldn't wait to check it out. The Sunday early evening screening was attended so-so (maybe 10-12 people in total). That's a darn shame. If you are in the mood for a complex relationship drama with lots of great acting talent, you cannot go wrong with this. "A Bigger Splash" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Emotional Rescue

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 5 June 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. I've said before that she is such a fascinating actress that I would probably buy a ticket to watch Tilda Swinton just stand on stage. In her latest collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, 2009), Ms. Swinton's character remains mostly silent, save a few well placed whispers and one uncontrollable outburst, and she is certainly worth the price of that ticket.

Adding to the movie fun here is a script by David Kajganich adapted from Alain Paige's story that was the basis for the 1969 film La Piscine. Ms. Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a glam rock singer (think 60's-70's David Bowie) who has gone on holiday to recover from throat surgery. She is accompanied by her photographer/filmmaker boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), and the couple has sought seclusion and serenity on the picturesque Italian island of Pantalleria in the Strait of Siciliy. They spend their time sunbathing (European style) and enjoying intimacy in the swimming pool at the stunning compound they have rented.

Of course it wouldn't be much of a movie if things went according to plan. Blowing into town like the upcoming sirocco winds is Marianne's former lover and former music producer Harry (Ralph Fiennes), along with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). Showing up uninvited adds to the palpable underlying tension - which only gets thicker as the layers are peeled back. In addition to the former relationship of Marianne and Harry, it turns out Harry and Paul were once close friends, and it's only been in the last year that Harry found out Penelope is his daughter (and there's even some doubt on this).

Fiennes' Harry is the kind of annoying blow-hard we want to punch after about 5 minutes. He is unrelenting with his energy and motor-mouth approach to most every moment in life. In that same 5 minute span, we also figure out his not-so-subtle desire to win back Marianne. His Lolita-type daughter may or may not be part of his plan, but she surely has her own sights set on Paul. Over food, wine and swimming, we learn more and more backstory on each character, and it's pretty obvious the beautiful bodies and faces are masking mountains of vulnerabilities and insecurities.

Ms. Swinton, despite her minimal dialogue, makes Marianne a captivating character – balancing the entitlement of a rock star with a desperate attempt to be normal. Mr. Schoenaerts brings his usual physicality and simmering emotional quiet to the role of Paul – a guy much less "together" than he would have us believe. Penelope is a good fit for Ms. Johnson, as she mostly lounges around the pool leering lustfully at Paul. But it's Mr. Fiennes who rules the roost here with his appendage-flapping portrayal of the vulgar and vulnerable Harry – complete with Monty Python references, Mick Jagger dancing and au natural pool diving. It's a different kind of role for Fiennes and one he clearly relishes.

It's a film filled with lush visuals and fans (like me) of Francois Ozon's 2003 Swimming Pool will recognize the stylings of cinematographer Yorick Le Saux. Beauty abounds: the setting, the water, the clothes, and the house. Things do get a bit clunky in the third act with a minor sub-plot involving Tunisian refugees. Fortunately that doesn't negate the many good things here … including a terrific and creative soundtrack featuring a couple of deep cuts from the Rolling Stones, Nilsson's "Jump into the Fire", St. Vincent's cover of "Emotional Rescue", and even Robert Mitchum's "Beauty is only Skin Deep". It's a stylish, ultra slow-burn emotional thriller that has a swimming pool shot somewhat reminiscent of the iconic one from Sunset Boulevard. If all of that is still not enough reason to buy that ticket … don't forget about Ms. Swinton!