Nice weather, huh? This meteorological turbulence sends me for a loop, no matter how many times I have been through it. Just the perils of living in the Chicagoland area, I guess. When this happens, my first thought is turning to more comfortable activities. Good food and warm tea; another pastime crops up in the form of older movies. And given the time of year, I yearn for warmer months and films that reflect those seasons. Enter La piscine.
The Swimming Pool in English, this 1969 French thriller takes us to sun-dappled Saint Tropez where Jean-Paul and Marianne are on vacation. Fostering their tans and playfully chasing each other in a sexy game of tag, both wile away their days in blissful ignorance to the outside world. Oh, to have that now. This is to say until a former lover of Marianne, Harry, shows up with someone who he claims to be a daughter of his from another woman. Tensions rise until it all culminates in an explosive climax that I will only say gives reason to why the title is what it is. The pool is both desire and danger in equal measure. Harry still has feelings for Marianne and Jean-Paul is subsequently seduced by Harry’s daughter Penelope, two ill-advised prospects.
The incomparable Alain Delon continued his streak of devilishly handsome roles which went from Purple Noon to Le Samouraï. If you haven’t seen the former, take the time to check out the first screen appearance of character Tom Ripley before the Netflix miniseries starts in April. His cool detached demeanor serves Jean-Paul well as the film progresses, as each subsequent incident strips that from him. Romy Schneider’s Marianne is not just a coveted goddess, but a woman with her own wants and needs. Torn between the love she has now and the past, she narrowly walks a path toward an uncertain future. Maurice Ronet, who starred alongside Delon in Purple Noon, gets the showier performance. His dry comic jabs at Jean-Paul and destabilizing gregariousness makes for uneasy company, despite such lush settings. Jane Birkin is the only weaker link of the group, with only a one note personality that serves the story at the expense of her arc. This was later rectified in Luca Guadagnino’s remake A Bigger Splash, you might have heard referenced on SNL a couple weeks back when Dakota Johnson hosted. But for those looking for the original, check it out on Max.
The Oscar nominations are out and one movie that sadly wasn’t announced was Fallen Leaves. Finland’s entry for best international feature, this quant love story about two lonely souls was touching in a sea of fake romance films. Ansa starts out working in a grocery store before she is fired. While out at a karaoke bar, she meets Holappa. A metal worker with a drinking problem, he feels as if there is nothing to live for. These two wayward individuals keep bumping into each other, going to the movies and getting coffee. Through a set of circumstances, they keep both finding and losing each other. A lost phone number here, a missed connection there; like a serendipitous game of cat and mouse.
Director Aki Kaurismäki creates simple worlds for his deadpan protagonists to live in, down to minimal set design. But it is his heart that is fully captured on his sleeve that elevates this above its tone. It is sad that this isn’t getting the recognition or screen time that other features have. Only available on streaming service MUBI; if you are looking for arty films from around the world, then I would suggest signing up to see if you would like it at least for this lost gem from the previous year.
