François Ozon’s atmospheric thriller from 2003 keeps the viewer in suspense while dazzling him with beauty.
Sarah (Charlotte Rampling) is an uptight British mystery writer working on a new novel. In hope of some inspired solitude she temporarily moves to her publisher’s holiday home in the South of France. The promised tranquility is ruined when the publisher’s uninhibited teenage daughter, Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), unexpectedly comes to stay. The house and particularly the swimming pool turn into a battlefield of contrasting female egos. After Julie has a violent encounter, the two women who seemingly have nothing in common, come together to deal with the consequences. The glittering swimming pool and the sun drenched shots provide a perfect backdrop for this psychological thriller, which up until its very end keeps the viewer guessing about what really happened and what was in Sarah’s writer’s imagination.
