Stars: Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes
Storyline
In A BIGGER SPLASH, the lives of a high profile couple, a famous rock star and a filmmaker, (
Writers: David Kajganich, Alain Page, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Corrado Guzzanti, Alessandro Ferrara, David Maddalena, Salvatore Gabriele, Livio Franco Blandino, Aurore Clément, Lily McMenamy, Vito Rodo, Elena Bucci, Tom Stickley, Jerry Popiel, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Tilda Swinton -
Marianne Lane
Matthias Schoenaerts -
Paul De Smedt
Ralph Fiennes -
Harry Hawkes
Dakota Johnson -
Penelope Lannier
Corrado Guzzanti -
Maresciallo
Alessandro Ferrara -
Carabiniere 1
David Maddalena -
Carabiniere 2
Salvatore Gabriele -
Mayor
Livio Franco Blandino -
Restaurant Owner
Aurore Clément -
Mireille
Lily McMenamy -
Sylvie
Vito Rodo -
Waiter
Elena Bucci -
Clara
Tom Stickley -
Drummer
Jerry Popiel -
Guitarist
Filming Locations: Pantelleria Island, Sicily, Italy
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Matthias Schoenaerts started shooting Maryland (2015) in France only three weeks after he finished shooting 'A Bigger Splash' in Italy. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
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/)
0