Rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of delirious nostalgia from which there can be no rescue. A Bigger Splash is a sensuous portrait of laughter, desire, and rock and roll detonating into violence under the Mediterranean sun.
A Bigger Splash is a 2015 drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Alain Page and David Kajganich. Loosely based on the 1969 Jacques Deray film La Piscine and named after the David Hockney painting, the film stars Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson. It is the second installment in Guadagnino’s self-described Desire trilogy, following I Am Love (2009) and preceding Call Me by Your Name (2017). It competed for the Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.
In February 2015, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. The film made its world premiere at the 72nd Venice Film Festival on 6 September 2015. It was also selected to screen at the Busan International Film Festival on 2 October 2015 and at the London Film Festival on 9 October 2015. Lucky Red released the film in Italy on 26 November 2015. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 12 February 2016 by StudioCanal. It was released France on 16 April 2016. Originally scheduled to open in United States on 13 May 2016, it was pushed up to 4 May. For its theatrical release A Bigger Splash earned $2,024,099 in North America and $5,521,659 in foreign receipts for a total world box office gross of $7,545,758.
About the Story
In an isolated villa on the small Italian island of Pantelleria, world-famous rock singer Marianne Lane is on holiday with her filmmaker lover Paul. She is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating only by signs and occasional whispers. He is in recovery from alcohol addiction and a failed suicide attempt. Neither speaks Italian but solitude is what both need, until an aeroplane from Rome brings a man neither wants to see.
This is Harry, an extroverted music promoter who was Marianne’s lover until he passed her on to his protegé, Paul. With him is Penelope (Pen), a previously unknown daughter of his who says she is 22. Moving into the villa, Harry starts inviting friends around as if it were his home and taking everybody out to various sights and festivities. His arrogant manner bores Pen and annoys Paul, but Marianne starts falling under his spell again; however, when Harry and Marianne begin to become intimate while alone, Marianne stops Harry. She tells him that she does love him, but that she cannot be with him and that she is with Paul. The sultry Pen then makes a play for the unhappy Paul; it is not shown, but implied, that Paul succumbs to Pen’s overtures.
After drinking on his own, Harry comes back very late and starts a fight beside the pool with Paul. Both fall in, and the fight continues. Paul holds Harry underwater too long, and Harry drowns. Realizing his mistake, Paul pulls Harry to the surface and attempts to resuscitate him, but is unsuccessful and leaves Harry to drift to the bottom of the pool. In the morning his corpse is seen by the maid, who calls the police. They have more urgent business with illegal immigrants landing from North Africa, some floating ashore dead, but take the occupants of the villa in for questioning.
A Bigger Splash
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Alessandro Ferrara, Aurore Clément, Lily McMenamy
Screenplay by: David Kajganich
Production Design by: Maria Djurkovic
Cinematography by: Yorick Le Saux
Film Editing by: Walter Fasano
Costume Design by: Giulia Piersanti
Set Decoration by: Tatiana Macdonald
MPAA Rating: R for graphic nudity, some strong sexual content, language and brief drug use.
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: May 13, 2016
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