to experience this film, see it with an open mind. A+

writhing and completely harmless. Swinton makes an unforgettable impression even without talking. So does Fiennes as the manic producer and ex-lover. He is so annoying that you almost feel sorry for him. What a brilliant actor he is. I wonder a bit about time references. If he were 17 in the late seventies, he must be in his mid-fifties, which he is not.

is laughing at any of us that don't notice it. Same with the karaoke scene. Like a dreamy Italian town would really care if this lot showed up and sang badly. That's what us Londoners or similar like to think and sometimes show in other films romanticising our holidays in Tuscany, Provence, Barcelona or similar . We treat them like our playground but are completely oblivious to the arrogance of it. I thought the director set a fabulous trap - some people watching this will be blind to those aspects, but any one who has been on the receiving end will see what he's highlighting. This bit might be over-thinking it but if even said something to me about how some Europeans want out of Europe, when it suits us. How dare we!

are introduced to a deeply in-love couple literally lathered in leisure time and intimacy on Pantelleria, an island in the Medeterianian between Tunisia and Sicily. We soon learn that the escape is an intentional suspension of reality for the purpose of joint recovery. One phone call ends all that in a sumptuously stylish first 30 minutes of scene setting. Ralph Feinnes exhaustingly miraculous character enters stage left, setting off a half expected chain of events accompanied by his newfound enigmatic daughter and outstanding cinematography. In this review I will not reveal any further plot lines, but suggest you rather that you pay attention to the deep and currently very relevant narratives in this work. The first fun little metaphor of a snake persistently trying to enter the sanctity of the primary relationship is a clever play on the 'garden of Eden' story's attempted innocence disembowelment by external influences. Notice the order in which the protection of this sanctity occurs and by whom... which leaves the ending ever more touching. Then there is the ever present influx of migrants travelling through Africa to reach Europe. I present the the most subtle tones of the film, removed from the plot, but the juxtaposition between excessive comfort and a migrating desperate anonymous people is really what captured my imagination here. There comes a time at the end of the film where this desperate situation exposes the recent extreme debates currently underway in Europe and the frightening rise of the right. Note who is inadvertently blamed as an easy avenue for the self made, yet sympathetic problems of the privileged. That all said and done, this film is delightful on an entertainment level as much as an intellectual level. The performances are superb, the cinematography a visual fondling and the writing / direction masterfully executed... a film that leaves the audience deciding the outcome for themselves, is truly one to remember.

sensual life made me want to be about 20 years younger. I've binged watched about 11 films in the last couple weeks of the holidays and this one stands out amongst them. Not about or for ordinary people.

attributes so that every subsequent variation and elaboration feels exhilarating. This is a film about people and relationships; how different associations can sometimes coalesce yet at other times grate, how secrets and history must awkwardly co-exist with the fantasies of perfection.Fiennes is simply superb. He absolutely nails Hawkes extrovert nature, perfectly mixing it with the selfish dark underbelly which success invariably requires. Swinton marvellously continues to build her rapidly emerging reputation with a multifaceted character that says less than a hundred words throughout the entire running time. Both Schoenaerts and Johnson are solid but are unluckily eclipsed by Fiennes and Swinton's sparkle. In fact, such is Fiennes utter dominance early on, there feels a distinct possibility he will overshadow not only the other actors, but the film itself. Fortunately, as time passes the rest of the cast get their chance in the sun and, to their credit, pull it back just before it becomes the Ralph Fiennes Show.The friction between De Smedt and Hawkes is always at the forefront; the protective grounded boyfriend against the vociferous music producer ex. Hawkes tempts Lane to speak at the dinner table, De Smedt knocks him back, Hawkes dances to a track he produced for the Rolling Stones, De Smedt pulls Lane closer on the sofa. It's the subtle fragments of both loving and sexual tension which keep the flow of A Bigger Splash so thrilling.When the plot eventually makes its move, sides are taken, suspicions are rife, relationships are both strained and solidified. Only then do you realise just how well the film has branded its characters into your hide, and how desperate you are to know the outcome.Until the last half hour or so not much really happens in A Bigger Splash but you simply don't notice, such is the utter delight in watching a great cast develop complex characters with a wonderfully astute script.

for a time by two more women whom Harry takes it upon himself to invite - cavort under the Italian sun, conversations are held, secrets revealed and betrayals occur.This is very much an actors' film, and Fiennes does a splendid job as the over-enthusiastic, noisy Harry; I wanted to punch him after about five minutes. Johnson does her best with the standard femme fatale role, and Schoenaerts is perfectly competent. Star of the show, however, is definitely Swinton, who has very few lines her character is supposed to refrain from speaking after a throat operation but as she's in most scenes is required to get Marianne's opinions across through facial expression, miming, and sheer force of personality, which she manages splendidly.This is an engrossing film, with an interesting plot, good acting and lovely scenery and not just of the countryside variety, either - all four leads get their kit off at some point, although I could have done with fewer such scenes from Mr Fiennes - he's in relatively good nick for a chap in his fifties, but things are starting to sag! It's strange, though, that an Italian/French co-production is mainly in the English language!

the most unexpected ones but Ralph Fiennes gives a performance that it hast to be seen to be believed mostly because this is the same actor in Schindler's List, Quiz Show, In Bruges and last year he provided me woth one of the funniest scenes of the year in Hail Caesar. So, as you must gather, I had a great time and I'll wait for the next Guadagnino with childish anticipation