A Bigger Splash
In A Bigger Splash, rock ’n’ roll legend Marianne (Tilda Swinton) and her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) retreat to the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, seeking shared solitude and a chance to recover from recent life crises.
When Marianne’s ex, flamboyant record producer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) intrudes upon the couple’s sabbatical with his beguiling daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), all four are drawn into a vortex of jealousy and desire with devastating results.
Sometimes a truly potent film is one that challenges rather than entertains viewers – where it doesn’t dawn on us that we’ve seen something vital until the very end, or even until we’ve left the theatre. That’s the case with director Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, a slow-boiler loosely inspired by the 1969 erotic thriller La Piscine.
A Bigger Splash is a breathtaking tale of nostalgia’s dark side fuelled by an excellent soundtrack and fearless performances, especially Fiennes, who dominates every scene with manic energy and frightening charisma. (JH)
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BY JAMES HARKNESS
