Swimming Pool

Sophisticated, tricky thriller stars Rampling as successful British crime writer Sarah Morton--who's suffering from writer's block. Sarah complains to her publisher, John (Dance), and he offers her his summer house in the South of France. She accepts, thinking a change of scene will be inspiring and hoping John will visit. Instead, Sarah's quiet vacation is rudely interrupted by the arrival of John's uninhibited French daughter from his first marriage, Julie (Sagnier). The neglected teen moves in, flaunts her sexuality (and body) in front of the repressed Englishwoman, and brings home a series of one-night stands. Sarah surreptitiously watches Julie and begins a novel about her. Then, when one of Julie's lovers disappears, Sarah fantasizes that something deadly has occurred. A surprise denouncement may leave viewers frustrated but there's an uneasy seduction to the the film, with both actresses giving their roles edge and vulnerability.