Swimming Pool (2003)

6.7R99 minDirector: François Ozon

Film by François Ozon

Swimming Pool is a 2003 erotic psychological thriller film co-written and directed by François Ozon and starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier. The plot focuses on a British crime novelist, Sarah Morton (Rampling), who travels to her publisher's upmarket summer house in Southern France to seek solitude in order to work on her next book. However, the arrival of Julie (Sagnier), who claims to be the publisher's daughter, induces complications and a subsequent crime. Both lead characters are bilingual, and the film's dialogue is a mixture of French and English.

Swimming Pool premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2003, and was released theatrically in France three days later with a U cinema rating, meaning it was deemed suitable for all ages. It was given a limited theatrical release in the United States that July and was edited to avoid an NC-17 rating due to its sexual content and nudity. It was subsequently released in North America on DVD in an unrated cut.

The film ignited controversy with audiences because of its ambiguous nature and unclear conclusion which can be interpreted in various ways. In France many comparisons were made with Jacques Deray's 1969 film La Piscine (The Swimming Pool), starring Romy Schneider and Alain Delon.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Swimming Pool about?
Swimming Pool (2003) — Sarah Morton 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 to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful countr
Is Swimming Pool based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Swimming Pool scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.