Italian director Luca Guadagnino has established a reputation as a sultry, aesthetically rich filmmaker with seductive films like Melissa P. and I Am Love, and he looks to continue to that tradition with his latest, A Bigger Splash. Inspired by narratives like Jacques Deray’s LaPiscine/The Swimming Pool and Jean Renoir’s La Règle du Jeu/The Rules of the Game, Guadagnino from a script by David Kajganich with a knockout cast. Tilda Swinton leads as a world-famous rock star who retreats to the idyllic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), only to have an imposing former flame (Ralph Fiennes) interrupt their holiday with his seductive daughter (Dakota Johnson) in tow.
As always, Guadagnino brings a gorgeous aesthetic, lensing the glinting perfection of an halcyon retreat, ever-threatening to spoil. Of course, Swinton is always a joy to watch, and I think if we're being honest, we've all wanted to see glam rock tilda at one point. Swinton has yet another winning year lined up with The Coen Brothers' recently released Hail, Caesar and Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange also set for a 2016. While it will be fun to see her take on the realms of superheroes and mysticism, Swinton is perhaps most delightful when she's luxuriating in the world of art film.
A Bigger Splash opens in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 4th before expanding to select theaters nationwide on Friday, May 13th. Watch the new trailer below.
Rock legend Marianne Lane is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue.
A BIGGER SPLASH is a sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock and roll, under the Mediterranean sun.
