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If you thought that Oscar Isaac's dancing in "Ex Machina" was a sight to behold, then wait until you see this. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, who is best known for his well-received work on "I Am Love" in 2009, this has to be a shoe-in for the most screwed up family holiday of the year. Tilda Swinton, who has worked with Guadagnino in the past, stars as voiceless rockstar Marianne Lane, who has retired to a remote island off the coast of Italy in order to recover from an operation on her vocal chords. Joining her is partner and filmmaker Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, as we see through flashbacks, is introduced to Lane by record producer Harry Hawkes, a rambunctious and zany character played in true dickhead style by Ralph Fiennes. After intruding on Marianne and Paul's get-away with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who seems to share a rather suspicious and discomforting relationship with her new-found father, it becomes clear that Harry has some designs on winning his ex-lover and colleague Marianne back. Set in the beautiful Pantellaria, and often around an enticing swimming pool, what seems like an above-board retreat soon turns pretty sour. Having competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which saw it receive rave reviews from many critics, can "A Bigger Splash" live up to its impactful title?

The first half an hour, or so, of "A Bigger Splash" is absolutely irresistible. Guadagnino directs with a lot of style and personality, and proves himself quite capable of capturing a beautiful landscape on screen. Having seen what Paolo Sorrentino did with the alpine hotel in "Youth", it seems as if it runs in the blood of Italian directors. A very interesting atmosphere and tone is also set; the film is playful and somewhat raunchy, but also quite ambiguous and eccentric. Playing into this are the excellent performances which, throughout the entire duration of the feature, hold up the narrative. Tilda Swinton, who actually suggested that her character shouldn't be able to speak herself, does incredibly well with a very physical performance of gestures, facial reactions and whispers, and despite the age gap, her romance with Schoenaerts' Paul feels quite believable. The stand-out performer though, which is saying something in a film starring Tilda Swinton, is Ralph Fiennes, who shows his superb range with a crazy portrayal of an insufferable, irritating nuisance.

Despite the character he is playing, Fiennes is obscenely engaging, and a scene in which he busts multiple moves is both hilarious and striking in a way that very few films are. I might tentatively suggest, even at this early stage in the year, that his performance in "A Bigger Splash" could be an early contender for an Oscar nomination. Dakota Johnson rounds out the leading quartet with a sultry turn as Penelope, a mysterious, curious figure that does add a bit of youthful spice to proceedings. You have to commend the central cast for their excellent chemistry with one another; while there is an excessiveness and heightened sense of reality involved in "A Bigger Splash", its feet are kept on the ground by the intriguing interactions that take place between the colliding personalities. Guadagnino is successful in his attempt to create a palpable awkwardness between ex-lovers, father and daughter, husband and wife and for a while this allows the movie to feel rather dynamic. The movie features an excellent soundtrack as well, which really helps you sink into the wonderful surroundings depicted in the film, and you do get the sense that you're almost along for the ride on this dysfunctional holiday with the characters in question. "A Bigger Splash" is an accomplished film in a number of ways, and really is gorgeous to look at.

It's rather frustrating then that "A Bigger Splash", despite the film's achievements, feels like a missed opportunity. Although each of the main quartet are interesting in their own particular way, there is a clear absence of emotional connection to any of the central characters; their arcs are ultimately unsatisfying and their experiences seem to make very little impact upon the audience. Seeing these well-known names act in rather unfamiliar and off-the-cuff ways is bright and unexpected initially, but well into the second act of the film, the novelty of the feature starts to wear off. At a runtime of over two hours, too much of "A Bigger Splash" feels like a spinning of wheels, and although it would be unfair to label the movie as totally pretentious, there is a heavy-handidness of theme which comes across as rather jarring. The narrative, in several ways, just doesn't sustain itself; after a while it's quite easy to lose interest in what happens to each character, and they all seem so distanced from reality that any kind of relatability is ultimately sacrificed.

It's also fair to say that the setting, as wonderful as the holiday home is, becomes quite stale after a prolonged amount of time, and the claustrophobic, limited scope of the feature doesn't resonate emotionally in any particular way. The performances are great, but they don't really end up contributing to anything that is remotely substantial. This is summed up in the final act which, irrespective of a somewhat surprising plot-twist, doesn't resolve the issues addressed in the movie very well at all. The final scene is totally bizarre in its own right, but the entire conclusion to "A Bigger Splash" stunk of whimsical nonsense, and offered no pleasing or arresting closure to the overall narrative which had taken place. I admit that I might be missing something beneath the surface of this movie's glossy sheen, but the final stages of the film are handled so erratically and messily that it somewhat spoils the promise that "A Bigger Splash" clearly has.

The director's prior "I Am Love" ultimately transcended its more pretentious, arbitrary aspects with a certain feeling of epic emotionality. But this time around there isn't enough substance or originality in other departments to detract attention from how...well, pretentious and arbitrary many of his directorial choices are. To an extent there's interest in simply watching the well-cast stars go through their paces: Fiennes plays one of his most extroverted characters; Swinton has magnetism as usual in a contrasting figure (contrasting because her rock-star has to be silent while recovering from surgery--but a laughable flashback where she sings in a recording studio blows any belief that we're watching a credible musical talent); Schoenaerts is attractive and earnest; Johnson is good playing a petulant brat who uses her sexual allure in obvious (yet successful) ways. If you've ever wanted to see any of these actors full-frontal, here's your big chance, since there's a lot of nudity here that doesn't seem to exist for much reason beyond producing a "Look, s/he's taken it all off, too!" reaction.

But after a while you realize that as colorfully played as these figures are, none of them are drawn with enough depth to be genuinely interesting, and in fact they're largely annoying--to each other, and to us. It's predictable that the 2nd, vaguely incestuous "couple" who make an invasive surprise visit are going to disrupt the idyll and emotional security of the main couple who have hoped to escape just such company. It's predictable that there will be infidelity, and that sooner or later something violent is going to happen. Yet it's very hard to care about any of this.

That the director thinks his actors/characters are endlessly fascinating is obvious--otherwise why on Earth would he stage scenes like the one in which two of them invade a karaoke bar, and though neither of them can sing very well, we're supposed to believe they quickly have half the island populace raptly watching their performance? Judging from "I Am Love" and this, I've got to assume the director himself is a product of jet-setting wealth who automatically assumes the wealthy and privileged are special, fascinating creatures. Yet "Bigger Splash" inadvertently provides the truthful end to that sentence: "...only to each other."

In terms of image and editing, the film is flashy in often pointless, mannered ways that to my mind are neither beautiful or interesting...just show-offy and empty, the flourishes of a director who thinks flamboyant stylistic gestures = a true "artist," without worrying what they actually MEAN, if anything. (He's made a documentary about Bertolucci, and while the latter has certainly made some uneven, mannered work, he comes by instinctively everything that Guadagnino does in an imitative, pretentious way.) Of course, some will be taken in by it, since some people will always fall for Art that labels itself as such.

For all the talent it deploys, though, "Bigger Splash" is ultimately just a particularly pretentious variation on "erotic thriller" material, without much real tension, and certainly without any real substance. It's not terrible, but it's ultimately pretty trivial.

By the way, if you want a laugh, read Luca Guadagnino's Wikipedia bio. It's one of those Wiki entries that sounds like it was written by the subject (and/or his publicist), as it solemnly gushes over his "curiosity and passion for diverse artistic disciplines" including the company he founded that "conceives and implements luxury communications for luxury brands." I didn't know about THAT before, but it sure isn't surprising that he'd have a background in high-end advertising, the center of the universe for pretentious stylistic gestures about nothing.

While she rests her voice after throat surgery, a David Bowie-esque rock legend, Marianne (Tilda Swinton), and her documentary-filmmaker boyfriend of 6 years, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), relax in the remote Italian paradise of Pantelleria. Her record producer, mutual friend of both and former flame of Marianne, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), brings his estranged daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), to spend time with the couple and, mostly, interrupt the vacation. Tensions flare as Harry's ulterior motives to steal Marianne back after having 'given her' to Paul, while Penelope's relationships with her father and Paul come into question. Jacques Deray adapted this story once before in his 1969 film La Piscine, but Luca Guadagnino's 2015 iteration relies on its sharp sense for revelations of secrets and lies to draw us into its narrative and wrap us up in the impression of its characters. It works for the most part, but largely due to the efforts of the talented, committed cast.

It's films like A Bigger Splash that make us appreciate the largely underserved Ralph Fiennes. He showed comic potential as another Harry in In Bruges, and just last year his dry wit anchored the ensemble cast of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but he's a riot in A Bigger Splash. Having not seen any of Guadagnino's previous films, I wasn't expecting this to be so playfully comedic at first as it initially focuses on the awkwardness of the situation. Fortunately, as most of this is sourced from Fiennes's boorish behavior, he absolutely radiates off the screen, singing, dancing, and frequently stripping bare naked to swim. While this wouldn't have gotten Oscar attention even if it were still scheduled to release in 2015 with a more forgiving release strategy, a consecutive Best Actor in a Comedy Golden Globe nomination wouldn't have been out of the question, as Fiennes is hitting a new stride this decade which, somewhere down the line, should equate to the awards momentum he rode back in the 90s.

Tilda Swinton, an equally reliable talent, nearly measures up to Fiennes, but her character calls for a dialed-down approach that she's cut her teeth in already. As her character recovers from throat surgery, she's a near silent participant in most scenes, except when it's absolutely necessary to whisper or in its few and admittedly unnecessary flashbacks, which just paint what we already suspected rather than tell us anything new. Even silently, the nuances on her face are expertly controlled and she is the key to the balance of the heightened tone and raw emotion of the film. Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, this decade's new kids in town, are certainly out of their depth compared to Swinton and Fiennes. While Schoenaerts appears convincingly irritated, he doesn't have the conviction to hit the high notes his character requires later. Johnson is firmly on the sidelines for the most part, but given a better film than Fifty Shades of Grey, she's guilty of chewing on every juicy line she gets to the point of indulgence. Both are mostly good, but notably outshined by their experienced counterparts.

However solid its cast may be, the film does struggle with a choppy edit. It's littered with distracting continuity errors, unnecessary jump cuts and unmotivated closeups and push-ins– the latter being mostly on delectable food and, of course, pools of water, though this may just be flourishes of Guadagnino's typical style. It captures the therapeutic atmosphere of its environment, and with the frequent nudity by its main foursome, the sensuality far outweighs the darkness that unfurrows in its latter passages. It takes a big leap of faith in its third act but it mostly suffers from a lack of conclusiveness than its thrills and tonal shift. While the entangled web of these characters' pasts is intriguing and engaging, it doesn't appear to have a consistent point to make outside of the nature of temptation and recovery, two well travelled paths. A Bigger Splash is ultimately a mixed bag of hits and misses, but it'll find a passionate niche that will embrace it for its more tantalizing sequences.

7/10

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There's something that made this film really come together well in the beginning. I didn't think it entirely successful, and many people will not take to its meandering tone and feel. More importantly, the character beats all seemed to work well. Yet at the same time, the longer it went on, the more and more I disliked it. The longer it went on, the more obnoxious it became, and what was initially interesting and intriguing became really lazy and uninspired. The more original the film thought it was, the more aggravating it was. I can't even really pick any specifics, it just did not sit right with me. The cast itself was good, and the film definitely wasn't following any clichés or formulas, so perhaps I would feel like rewatching it in the future and that would change my mind. But oh no, not right now.

'A Bigger Splash' (2015) is a remake of a film ('La Piscine' - directed by Jacques Deray based on a novel by Alain Page) that is remembered today mainly because of the presence on the screen of the couple Alain Delon - Romy Schneider. Since then, a few more films have been added to the 'swimming pool drama' genre. The version created by the Italian director Luca Guadagnino is different in that it does not completely isolate the sentimental conflicts of the characters and the blue waters of the pool from the world around. We are in the years when the crisis of migrants making their way across the Mediterranean was at its peak. The Italian island where the story is set is in the middle of this tumult, which will also influence, despite them, the destinies of the characters.

Marianne is a famous rock singer who is recovering from a throat surgery that may damage her vocal cords, due to which doctors have advised her not to use her voice for a while. Together with Paul, her boyfriend, a documentary films director, they chose the villa on this island to isolate themselves from the world. Their plan is upended when Harry, a hysterical extroverted music producer, shows up, accompanied by his young beauty daughter Penelope. Harry is Paul's best friend and Marianne's ex-lover. He seems uncaring and morally corrupt, willing to drag everyone else around him into his self-centered machinations. The attempt to renew the connection with Marianne is at first met with a refusal, but the man insists. Meanwhile, some kind of relationship seems to be forming between Paul and Penelope. But something will happen and the erotic drama is in danger of sliding towards tragedy.

The screenplay is a bit unbalanced, in the sense that more than half of the film we witness the far too thorough and too patient construction of a drama that unfolds too late. With less than half the time available, the second part, which had become interesting, seems to be headed for an ending that some found problematic (not me). The cast is stellar. Tilda Swinton has a very interesting role precisely because she is limited in her ability to speak. A professional of voice, both in the story in the film and as an actress, she is obliged to use solely the expressiveness of her figure and body and succeeds in creating a memorable role. Ralph Fiennes thickens Harry's features a bit, but in the end his character is credible and interacts well with his partners. Matthias Schoenaerts is a bit too low-key as Paul. Maybe it was the directorial indications, but my feeling was that the character played by him is not fully revealed. Rounding out the cast is Dakota Johnson as Penelope. She also leaves some open questions about her character, but here the mystery is clearly intentional and belongs in the script. I also liked the cinematography created by Yorick Le Saux - spectacular, but without stepping into the realm of tourist ads. On the contrary, the camera manages to capture glimpses of the real world, indifferent to the conflicts that take place in the villas of the rich and too busy with the real dramas to care about the possible dramas that take place in or around the swimming pools.

The getaway-retreat scenario is a common film device for creating a chaotic crossroad where divergent character types can bring their shady pasts, chronic problems and deviant desires. It works well in the melodrama genre because people act differently when brought together, especially in a luxurious or exotic location where they can let go and be who they really are: recent examples include Youth (2015) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). A Bigger Splash (2016) does this using a beautiful Sicilian hillside villa with a prominent pool for baring bodies and souls. To keep the plot line taut there are only four actors who play out in two pairs and the chemistry is anything but harmonious.

An almost silent Marianne (played by Tilda Swinton) is a once-famous rock star who is recuperating from throat surgery with her former alcoholic boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts). They couple happily all over the villa until her extroverted and still-hungry former flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) suddenly turns up with his sullen and sultry teenage daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). The tension lines appear quickly and the dynamics morph seamlessly towards an erotic thriller. Harry and daughter are overly physical with each other, Paul is derailed by the teenager's libido, Marianne dabbles with forbidden fruit, while the men circle each other with malice. Harry's use of his daughter as bait turns out to make him the catch while the beautifully photographed Sicilian landscape dwarfs four small lives and the mess they create.

All of the actors deserve accolades but Fiennes stands out for his ability to plausibly and expressively switch from manic exuberance to emotional vulnerability. He drives the story forward both narratively and as its primary entertainer. Swinton and Johnson are perfect for their respective positions on the femme fatale spectrum, and Schoenaerts captures what many will say is the most complex role of this story. With fine acting, classic landscape photography, a great soundtrack, and an engaging story to tell, one would expect that the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. But this circular tale simply leads back to where it starts and leaves a vague feeling they have not gone far. As with so many films, it will be judged on its final moments.

The peace and tranquility of a rock star recovering from throat surgery and her documentarian boyfriend is shattered by a visit from the musician's former lover and his estranged adult daughter in this unusual film. Tension hangs in the air throughout with much unannounced but pronounced animosity between the characters. Ralph Fiennes is simply electric as the unwanted guest, oblivious to his intrusion (not to mention the disturbance he causes by constantly walking around nude), while Tilda Swinton is solid in a challenging role that forces her to emote without talking above a whisper. Intriguing as all this might sound though, it adds up to precious little. There are a lot of zooms-in and out that call attention to themselves without discernible purpose. The daughter's motives are also elusive throughout without any explanation; she acts with hostility towards Swinton, for instance, simply for the sake of it. That said, the plot takes a sharp turn in the final 35 minutes with a twist that causes us to view three of the characters in a different light. For a two-hour film though, such a twist comes late in the piece and with an inconclusive ending too, it is hard to hone in on what the point of the film is (outside of the notion that the Italian police are competent). For Fiennes, Swinton, some great costumes and several breathtaking locations, 'A Bigger Splash' is worth watching, but is that alone enough?

I hadn't seen A Bigger Splash but after being dazzled by Call Me By Your Name, I rushed to find and see this Luca Guadagnino 2015 film and it confirmed without a doubt that Luca Guadagnino is a remarkable filmmaker with a retro eye and a futuristic sensibility. His elegance makes cinematic the most unpalatable of tales and this one, a four sided triangle, it's unpalatable and scrumptious all at the same time. Tilda Swinton is superb as the voiceless singer, Dakota Johnson gave me, for the first time, a glimpse into what she could be, Matthias Schoenaerts hits all the right notes even 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

Guadagnino's take on the portrayal of the privileged. Interesting and exciting plotline, with occasional cringeful acting. Eccentric characters and lustful mood. Swinton and Fiennes steal the stage while Dakota and Matthias fight hard to shine. Some interesting cinematography - a few dramatic shots, while at times becoming exhausting. Music goes both ways too - confusing sometimes, with moments of perfection.

World famous singer Marianne Lane (Swinton), temporarily mute from a recent throat operation, is enjoying a relaxing holiday with her doting film-maker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Schoenaerts) on a remote idyllic Italian island. Much to their initial annoyance, Lane's manic music producer and ex-boyfriend Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) turns up with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson) to gate- crash the tranquillity.

A Bigger Splash is a character development masterclass by Guadagnino. Over the first hour, the film gives everything to build up the intricacies of each character's 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.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but I absolutely hated this movie. Every character were annoying and not likable at all. I'm not really sure what the point of the movie was. I kept thinking it would get better the longer I stayed, but it didn't. The only redeemable thing about this movie was the lovely Tilda Swinton, and her beautiful wardrobe. Sadly, with no voice in the movie, she was still the most exciting character to watch.

Dakota Johnson (or her character at least) was just horrible. Tried to come off as young and sexy, but was just boring and dull. I don't really know if she is a talented actress because of the roles she has chosen as of late.

Either way, I do not recommend this movie to anyone!

This film tells the story of a rock star that is recovering from a throat surgery, and her filmmaker boyfriend going to Italy for a holiday. Her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend join them, and things get strange as emotions are stirred.

Given the great cast of Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, together with rising stars Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, I expected great things from "A Bigger Splash". However, I was thoroughly bored just fifteen minutes in, and it did not improve at all throughout the film. All we see is the characters constantly getting naked, walking around aimlessly and doing nothing. The story is non existent, and if there actually is a story, then it is very poorly told an executed. Gosh, the film even manages to make an Italian resort town dull, run down and unattractive. I wish I could have my time back.

This time of the French 1969's La Piscine with Alain Delon. Are the filmmakers out of books or inspiration ?

Brilliant cast wasted by pretentious directing. I love a stylish designer wardrobe as much as the next viewer. But the movie needs to have some substantial meanings too!

Can you imagine being on holiday with your hunky boyfriend only to discover half way through that your slightly dysfunctional ex has arrived with his teenage daughter! Personally, I'd be on the first plane home but rock star "Marianne" (Tilda Swinton) decides to stick it out with her film-making squeeze "Paul" (Matthias Schoenaerts) when "Harry" (Ralph Fiennes) shows up with "Penny" (Dakota Johnson). Initially, the toxicity seems to be under control but quickly we see things spiral into a fairly entertainingly internecine series of scenarios that drown us in a mix of nostalgia, resentment and a fair degree of lust too as the drink starts to flow and the truths start to emerge - be they actually true or not! It's Fiennes who delivers best here, I think, encapsulating the character of the flawed, almost delusional, "Harry" in a fashion that quite successfully gets under your finger nails. Schoenaerts gets naked enough times to justify his inclusion on the eye-candy chart and also provides quite a powerful steam-valve for the young "Penny" who appears to know exactly what she is after here... It's a bit on the long side, and like many of Luca Guadagnino's films does linger a little too much on the admittedly gorgeous Sicilian establishing photography and the pacing can come across as quite lazy at times, but when the poison is flowing effectively through the punchy dialogue, the film allows all four of these rather unlikeable characters to illustrate an holiday from hell that looks set to end in tragedy.

A remake of Jacques Deray's 'La Piscine' (1969), 'A Bigger Splash' has attracted some big names: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts make it a star-spangled vehicle indeed.

Recuperating rock star Marianne Lane (Swinton) is on holiday with her lover Paul (Schoenaerts) when their peace and quiet is destroyed by that worst of all afflictions: the uninvited guest. In this case it's Harry Hawkes (Fiennes), Marianne's former producer and lover, who wants to show off his newly-discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson). As the quartet - joined 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!

A rock star on vacation with her significant other gets a call from a past romance who interrupts their peace and disrupts their lives.

The purpose of the movie was not lost on me, despite the filmmakers being far too subtle about it, but half way through the movie I realized that I no longer cared, even after the climax of the movie occurred I had no real feelings either way.

I started out liking Tilda Swinton as a David Bowie inspired Rock star who just had a surgery that could end her career. After a while, however I just did not fully get the point. Though I was sold on her relationship with Paul, her much younger documentary filmmaker lover, I was not sold on the relationship between her and Ralph Fiennes and I needed that sell.

Ralph Fiennes plays a record producer who cross between man child and wild child. He gave all he got into the character but it was not working for me. In fact it may have been too distracting.

The character that did it for me was Penelope, the record producer's long lost daughter played by Dakota Johnson, who sexiness was far better used in this movie than in 50 Shades of Grey.

The movie seems to go nowhere and is pointless. Then it gets to the point when it does finally have a narrative, but by this point, I don't care enough for anyone for it to matter.

If you want to see Ralph Fiennes' naked, which I didn't, but it really is the only reason to watch this one.

I have seen this before but was keen to remind myself how it measured up to Jacques Deray's 1969 original with Alain Delon and Rome Schneider, particularly bearing in mind this is directed by Luca Guadarnino whose remake of Suspiria is about to open. At first the heady mix of characters, run rough shod over by Ralph Fiennes, is interesting and although nobody seems likeable, to be forced to be in this company has some potency - bit like being on a group holiday with people you don't like but are going to have to get along with. Its all okay but Fiennes over the top performance grates more and more and with Tilda Swinton playing the most unlikeliest of characters (and without use of her voice!) things begin to become more than a little waring. On top of this the thing goes on far too long and with a ham fisted attempt to make the ongoing immigrant crisis relevant the cause is lost. This does not bode well for Suspiria.