A Bigger Splash

An adult love triangle, spiced up by a curious, sexy young girl. Guadagnino savors the eroticism of exposed female bodies, hidden passions and the hot southern Italian climate. But the dramatic aspect of his story works only at half-throttle. It would have passed as a dialogue-based movie with a single open conversation (the guys’ quarrel) had the characters’ emotions burbling just beneath the surface been stronger. But still, at least the filmmaking is rather original, which I appreciate. (10/04/2018)

One of those films that is made by a European director who casts renowned European actors, so you would expect it would be a success. But the success does not arrive and you are left with nothing but suffering through two hours of a very average film that proves that even good European actors can portray utterly uninteresting characters. Even though at first sight it might seem different. (04/17/2017)

I either haven't seen Deray's film or I have completely blocked it out after a few decades, so I don't have the ability to compare the approaches of both directors and decide which one is more effective. Guadagnino's film seems somewhat dull, muted, and unremarkable to me. A Bigger Splash was supposed to be a combination of thriller and psychological drama, but the director would have had to work much more with the characters, play a sophisticated game full of hints, dose information, and veiled conflicts, which gradually and inevitably bubble to the surface only to explosively erupt in an emotional outburst, instead of using lengthy shots of the sunny Italian nature. Only the character of the not inherently evil, but self-centered, possessive, and hedonistic producer works as it should (I'm afraid mostly thanks to the performance of the acting chameleon Ralph Fiennes rather than the director's guidance). Dakota Johnson's Lolita only gets enough space to show off her naked body and send provocative looks, which is questionable considering the immodest duration. Tilda Swinton is a casting mistake. I consider her an interesting actress destined for special categories of roles such as androgynous or asexual beings and broken women whirled through life, but with the knowledge that a) she won't read this and b) I am at a sufficient distance away. I have to say that I cannot imagine Tilda as a sexual object arousing desire and jealousy. Matthias Schoenaerts fails to act as a counterpart to Ralph Fiennes on the same level, and this lack significantly sinks the dramatic conflict. It also wouldn't hurt to cut out about 12 minutes of runtime. A Bigger Splash is watchable, but apart from Fiennes and the soundtrack, it quickly evaporates from the mind. Overall impression: 55%. (11/19/2021)

Unbeknownst to me, I was thinking the whole time: "They're dealing with the same thing Romy Schneider did years ago!" And I wasn't wrong. However, it doesn't matter, this new The Swimming Pool ideally fulfills all the needs of a summer movie theater visit when it's convenient to catch up on your own sun glare. Besides, it is very nice to see Tilda Swinton now and again. (10/01/2016)

My strategy of not reading the comments and reviews before the film backfired. I had to suffer through two hours of boredom and misery, and I saw much more than I wanted to of the central four. Despite Ralph Fiennes’s great performance, his character was the proverbial pain in the ass. It remains a mystery to me why Dakota Johnson was cast into the role of a teenager when she looks at least thirty-five. The close-ups of her face were too close up. I found the characters annoying, I didn’t notice any plot, and I was bored to death. One star goes to Ralph Fiennes, even though his Harry was incredibly annoying. (11/14/2016)

Long and I admit, quite boring film for me, where it couldn't be completely expected how it would unfold, but on the other hand, I didn't enjoy the journey the movie took to reach this goal. The performances are good and maybe I underestimated Dakota, but the film still didn't convince me that this is something big. (07/26/2016)

I probably saw a different movie than most others, because unlike them, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I certainly can't say, as some have, that the stellar acting trio of Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Ralph Fiennes didn't live up to my expectations. I even gave Dakota Johnson a break, although I'm not a big fan of her personally. I guess I was also very influenced by the immersive music, as the soundtrack is just brilliant. I generally like subtly developing relationship stories, which I got here in spades. My attention was then drawn to the emotionally built-up last third of the story, which is in sharp contrast to the lazy mood of the sun-drenched landscape. I was also intrigued by the ending itself, over which many question marks hang. These are all very good ingredients for a captivating audiovisual cocktail, which I enjoyed to the fullest. (80%) (02/23/2021)