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MOVIE:
A Bigger Splash
OUR RATING:
2/5 Stars
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Marianne and Paul, a high profile couple, recovering by way of an idyllic holiday on the remote island of Pantelleria, Italy are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Harry and Penelope, an old friend and his daughter. The famous rock star and renowned filmmaker become ensnared in a dangerous game of jealousy, passion and intrigue.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
A Bigger Splash has two good things going for it; a great cast and a great setting.
Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Fanning frolic around on a remote Italian island. Their days are filled with listening to music, eating decadent food and lazing around the swimming pool or the beach.
But underneath the 'perfect vacation' there's an undercurrent of deceit. It's a great set-up for the erotic thriller but somewhere along the tedious storytelling it just loses the plot and my attention.
The story is interweaved with the past and present and instead of it drawing me in it felt like I had just been dropped into the middle of the story. The characters know things about each other and the story that isn't really privy to the audience. Every 'big reveal' doesn’t live up to the hype created in the set-up scenes.
Swinton tries really hard to do her best with the material she is given. Her character has just undergone vocal surgery and as a result she really doesn't talk much. Most of her 'dialogue' is done through looks, body language and the occasional croaked out line. Fiennes, who usually plays subdued characters, embodies the character of Harry wholeheartedly. He's the star of the show as his manic character brings life and some colour to the story.
If you're into pretentious artsy films you'll probably agree with the rest of the critics who rated it 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. For everyone else, skip this film.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
