Cegados por el sol

Un triángulo amoroso adulto, salpicado por la curiosidad de una chica inmaduro. Guadagnino se entrega al erotismo de los cuerpos femeninos desnudos, a las pasiones ocultas y al caluroso clima del sur de Italia. Pero la línea dramática de su historia funciona a medio gas. Una película sobre el diálogo con solo una única abierta de hombres discutiendo. Podría haber salido adelante si el burbujeo emocional entre los personajes, por debajo de la superficie, hubiera sido más fuerte. Aun así, al menos es una obra de autor original, lo que me gusta. (04.10.2018)

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%. (19.11.2021)

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. (14.11.2016)

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. (17.04.2017)

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. (02.10.2016)