Review // A Bigger Splash

[projekktor id=’24098′]

A quiet summer getaway becomes a battle with past demons and present temptations in Luca Guadagnino’s mesmerizing A Bigger Splash, which opens in Canadian theatres this weekend after a slow European release over the winter. Though it took its sweet time getting to Canada, it’s probably better that this slow-burn drama waited until the sun was shining to grace our screens; the beautiful Italian landscapes on display would have been too much to bear in the midst of the winter doldrums.

The film follows world famous rock star Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) and her photographer boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, when we first meet them, are enjoying a very naked getaway at a secluded villa on the Italian coast. Marianne is recovering from vocal surgery and has been told not to speak, an order which Paul enforces like a strict but loving schoolmarm. The silence seems to be just what the couple needs, and the combination of beaming yellow sun and crystal blue water as captured by Yorick Le Saux’s camera lens is enough to have you blissfully drifting off to sleep in the film’s opening minutes. But of course, things could never remain this quiet.

Enter Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes), the boisterous embodiment of rock and roll hedonism himself who calls from the airport and quickly invites himself over, much to the chagrin of Paul. Tagging along with Harry is his newly-discovered daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who is on summer break from school and excited to see the world – even if it means putting up with her inappropriately affectionate father. Harry quickly transforms Paul and Marianne’s quiet escape into a party, stocking the fridge with food and wine, inviting over friends and coaxing the reluctant couple on excursions into town for dancing and drinks. Though Marianne pretends to resent Harry, she’s clearly enjoying his infusion of joie de vivre into the lazy summer days. It’s also clear that there is still flame alive between the two, one that Harry fans every chance he gets. None of this is lost on Paul who – as the couple’s history is slowly revealed – is clearly using this vacation as somewhat of a detox. As the days go by, Harry’s excessive lifestyle and near-constant chatter destabilizes the delicate balance of the seaside retreat and pushes Paul and Marianne to their limits.

Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenhaerts are both beautiful enough to believably portray a rock and roll power couple and interesting-looking enough to enjoy watching come undone…

With A Bigger Splash Guadagnino creates two protagonists forced to reckon with the primal instincts and desires from which they have tried to isolate themselves. As Harry, Ralph Fiennes is (literally) a force of nature, slowly invading the villa and bringing with him all sorts of grubby inclinations. He is fantastic in the role, and it’s a delightful experience watching him play somewhat off-type. Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenhaerts are both beautiful enough to believably portray a rock and roll power couple and interesting-looking enough to enjoy watching come undone, and they both deliver in spades. Dakota Johnson is all simmering looks and mischievous smiles as the ironically named Penelope, a femme fatale as inexperienced with the corruptible power of human desire as her father is experienced with it.

Like the oft-mentioned Sirocco, a hot southern wind that comes up off the Sahara and makes life on the Mediterranean unbearable, there is an outside force looming over this film from the outset. As the characters’ past creeps into the present like a snake slithering across gravel or blood filling a swimming pool, the languid, dreamy mood slips into the sinister. By the third act any hopes of a quiet, relaxing vacation are put firmly to bed as the film takes a turn into thriller territory. Nevertheless, the film never alters its languid pace or firm focus on the fragile humanity of its characters. Though this vacation-gone-bad is no replacement for real sunshine this weekend, for summer starved movie goers, A Bigger Splash is a well worth the trip.

Reviewed by Evan Arppe.