La Piscine (Jacques Deray, 1969)

"The Swimming Pool" (La Piscine) is a psychological thriller that unfolds in a quiet, endless swimming pool in a Côte-D'Azur villa. The sordid ending of the story is somewhat forseen in the idyllic stillness of the holiday and the pervasive looks at the semi-naked bodies. The film begins with a couple, Jean-Paul and Marianne, played by Alain Delon and Romy Schneider, who seem deeply in love with each other. They have taken over their friend's house for some months, and they are in the midst of a pleasant relationship —pretty passionate too— that is bound to last much longer than the Summer. 

A change occurs with the arrival of Harry, a music producer and a former lover of Marianne. At first, the shift is minimal: just a bit of friction, a subtle macho rivalry between the two men. However, the intruder, who does nothing to conceal his attraction towards Marianne in the following weeks, and who brings along his desireable teenage daughter, Penelope (Jane Birkin), will eventually bring about larger consequences than a minor quarrel. In the silent resting that every day constitutes, passing leisurely, barely different from the previous, a restlessness grows in Jean-Paul's mind, who will eventually lose control. 

It took me some time to immerse myself in the movie, as I saw such little apparent significance and dialogue, and I first thought it a frivolous film, a mere exploitation of the famous celebrity couple, who had been involved in a turbulent relationship years before. However, as the plot evolved, I began to appreciate the subtle quality of the apparent superficiality that surrounded the characters, rich, young and beautiful as they dined, dived and held parties with old or recently acquired friends. This subtlety gave way to a crime, and fed me with the best medicine: the underlying poison that seems to be hiding underneath the perfection of a bourgeois setting.

The film also introduced me to Romy Schneider for the first time, and her face, mature and youthful at the same time, seems to haunt me ever since. I thought she was a great actress, naturally shifting from the flirtatious playfulness of her character to a more somber attitude when the circumstances changed. Marianne is very complex, layered, with a rooted sadness that she conceals in her interactions with friends, exes, and even her own partner in order to save them from a reality that she seems to know far better than them. I will never forget her attitude at the police station, when she conceals a terrible secret that could condemn Jean-Paul's life, and her coldheartedness when she takes Penelope —who has then become a rival of sorts—, to the airport. 

To me, the depth in "La piscine" goes far beyond the tragic ending or even the scalating tension. It explores gender roles, negligence, longing, evasion, sexual desire,  and love. A lot to admire in a film that can teach us a lesson or two if we are willing to dive in. ⧫⧫⧫/⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫