(Rated R, 102 mins. French/English)
It takes a lot of good writing and acting skill to base a movie solely around a swimming pool, but this one manages to pull it off and then some. The story dives into this sexy thriller as a frustrated and famous novelist Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) spends some creative time at the French countryside home of her editor, John Bosload (Charles Dance). No sooner she sinks into her writing that an unexpected visitor (with Lolita tendencies) arrives in the form of John’s daughter, Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). Through Julie’s erotic attitudes, Morton is slowly melted into rediscovering herself. The performances are first rate. Morton holds to her steel and Julie to her recklessness until a real life murder slowly weaves its way into the novelist’s next book. Art suddenly mirrors life or vice versa. Either way, this is one that while it may move slowly, seems to move quickly simply because of its perfection in its screen delivery.