Review of Swimming Home – Coping with Trauma by the Pool

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The film adaptation of Deborah Levy’s renowned novel Swimming Home, directed by Justin Anderson, is a disheartening and tiresome experience. While Anderson has proven to be a skilled visual artist in the past, his first feature film falls short with its subpar acting and excessive closeup shots. The movie attempts to portray an unappealing and unexciting form of sexual tension, while also trying to tie in themes of repressed trauma from the Bosnian war in a shallow and superficial manner.

Christopher Abbott, known as Joe, is a well-known poet hailing from Bosnia. He and his wife Isabel, an American journalist who recently returned from a difficult assignment, arrive at a lavish vacation home in Greece. Joe is experiencing depression and a lack of inspiration, while Isabel is subdued and affected by the unspecified horrors she witnessed while reporting. It is unclear whether their distant behavior is deliberate or not, based on their acting.

Their company includes their sullen teenage daughter, Nina (played by Freya Hannan-Mills), their chauffeur, and their fashionable intellectual friend from Paris, Laura (portrayed by Nadine Labaki). Upon reaching their destination, they are unsettled to discover a lovely, unclothed woman floating in their pool – the alluring Kitti (performed by the captivating Ariane Labed).

Unfortunately, the woman happens to be a friend of the person driving, who apologizes and suggests finding a place for Kitti in the city. However, Isabel, driven by a desire to appear carefree and unbothered by societal expectations, as well as a deep anger towards her husband’s loyalty, insists that Kitti stay. As a result, the guest’s disruptive charm begins to impact everyone.

The alluring arrangement of the swimming pool is reminiscent of Jacques Deray’s 1969 film La Piscine, starring Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, and Jane Birkin. The story was later remade as A Bigger Splash in 2015 by Luca Guadagnino, featuring Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson. The title may also have been inspired by the John Cheever short story that was adapted into the 1968 film The Swimmer, starring Burt Lancaster. However, these similarities do not detract from the film. It is strangely lacking in sensuality and languor, which one would expect to be present.

The most unusual aspect is that the characters stumble upon a group of nude sunbathers during their walks to the beach. At one point, they encounter a muscular man on a boat striking a pose with a lit flare in broad daylight. Isabel calls out to him, wishing to join him. These naked individuals may be connected to Isabel’s strange memories or fantasies of being in a sex club dance-cabaret where the performers do the “crab” position seen in The Exorcist. Isabel responds with a pained expression, reminiscent of Joey Tribbiani’s “smell the fart” acting from Friends.

The story progresses with Kitti’s presence bringing unexpected dimensions and possibilities, while Joe’s painful memories from childhood resurface. There are some moments in the film that stand out, when it isn’t trying too hard to be serious. One example is when Isabel leads a pony into a restaurant by the beach, much to the owner’s shock. However, overall, this film misses the mark.

Source: theguardian.com