A Bigger Splash review: A holiday drama that’s well worth the trip.
A Bigger Splash review: A holiday drama that’s well worth the trip.
A Bigger Splash review
A Bigger Splash is a new drama, with very dark comedic elements, that boasts an impressive international cast in veterans Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton, as well as Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts.
The story revolves around the vacationing rock star Marianne (Swinton) and her partner Paul (Schoenaerts). The couple head to an isolated Italian island to escape the glare of the spotlight and away from ringing phones, computers and the other trappings of their fast life. Their peace is shattered when old friend, record producer and former partner of Marianne, Harry (Fiennes) turns up with his young daughter (Johnson). The film explores jealously and other skeletons that arrive with them, from which there is absolutely no escape.
A Bigger Splash review
A Bigger Splash is an intriguing film that will may the viewer thinking of the back catalogue of Jonathan Glazer, not just because of the interrupted holiday plot line, like we saw in Sexy Beast, but the visual and editing style that Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino employs throughout. We have cleaver jump cuts and endless sequences involving very unconventional camera angles and tracking techniques. The similarities with Sexy Beast doesn’t end there, and while Ralph Fiennes’ Harry hasn’t got as much of a potty-mouth, or is indeed as psychopathic as Ben Kingsley’s Don Logan in Glazer’s impressive 2000 thriller, he’s almost as tightly wound, and such a departure from the actor’s usual work (excluding In Bruges, of course). Fiennes is on fire here, and probably the film’s biggest asset along with Swinton, who is also as excellent as always. Fiennes’ big mouth perfectly balances with Swinton’s muted rock star (she’s resting her vocal chords following an operation). Johnson and Schoenaerts provide excellent support in roles of the jealous boyfriend and Harry’s immense immature daughter respectively.
A Bigger Splash review
The film does struggle with pacing issues, with the running time coming in at just under the 2 hour mark. David Kajganich (True Story) provides the screenplay, which does suffer from dialogue issues in places, with the two central British characters often using Americanised English which Harry and Marianne potentially wouldn’t use, but apart from that, it’s humourous, witty and a script that takes you to places that aren’ expected, particularly as we approach the last reel.
While not perfect, A Bigger Splash is a decent drama which features the most liberal nudity I’ve ever seen in a film of its type. I believe Fiennes is naked more than he’s dressed.
Guadagnino is a promising filmmaker who has delivered an impressive feature. Well worth a look.
A Bigger Splash review by Paul Heath, October 2015.
A Bigger Splash plays at the BFI London Film Festival, and will be released in the UK in February 2016.
