Luca Guadagnino’s latest film comes lined with a star-studded cast and is set somewhere between Siciliy and Tunisia on a little Italian island.
Full of childish wonder, A Bigger Splash is overflowing with emotions, with tensions running high and boundaries being tested. Adapted from a 1969 Italian-French film La Piscine, this 2015 adaptation brings it to a more modern setting, with bigger and better stars, and even a hidden political message.
The story starts off with Marianne Lane (played by Tilda Swinton) and boyfriend Paul, who both have their own problems to deal with as they seek refuge from real life. In the film, Marianne cannot speak due to a throat injury as a result of her booming rock and roll career. Swinton, best known for her performance in Narnia as the White Witch, truly explores her character as best as she can without speaking, going into emotional depth through gestures and loud whispers.
Sexual jealousy spikes high as Ralph Fiennes returns as an ex-boyfriend attempting to seduce Marianne back to him and to the “Rock and Roll” lifestyle. Through the seemingly short flashbacks, Harry and Marianne give a little peek into the underground life of rock stars. After all that glamour and costumes are stripped away, stars are still human, and they experience the same thing as we mere audience members do.
With all the current bad press about Dr Luke and Kesha in the music industry, the idea that there might be sexual favours running amok in the industry, and the movie just further emphasise a darker aspect of the music world. After all, sex is part of the Rock and Roll package.
Little nuances are tucked away into this little slice of Eden, as the couples are free to explore a world without the busyness of the city and everything it encompasses. Paul and Marianne engage in various sexual behaviours, and are comfortable with each other. Being an erotic movie, there is no shortage of naked bodies, and even more of sexual temptations. Note that snake that keeps coming back, just like the temptation of vices as a symbol of forbidden fruit (think Adam and Eve).
Even a little message about foreigners and migrant workers are addressed here, dealing with all the tensions in the real world with blurring geo-national boundaries. It might not solve the problem with migrants and refugees, but it draws the lines betweens locals and migrants and is another source of tension in itself.
If the erotic-thriller genre isn’t quite your thing, you’ve got to admit that the cinematography of the entire film was indeed spectacular. The shots were all on point, and the island’s backdrop makes for beautiful, vast scenery. The soundtrack is also noteworthy, and won the Soundtrack Stars Awards at the 72nd Venice International Festival. Perfectly suited for the scenes, Guadagnino knows exactly how to use the music to hype up the tension and when to let silence work its magic.
Guadagnino may have tried to do a little too much with this film story-wise, which seems to lack a definite beginning and end, but it is still one worth watching. Kind of similar to a coming-of-age film, you feel a sense of accomplishment and realisation once the credits roll, and you’ll have to watch the film to know what I’m talking about.
Catch A Bigger Splash in the cinemas from 31 March 2016.
