A Bigger Splash

Luca Guadagnino's shimmering remake of Jacques Deray's 1969 La Piscine transports the action to the far-flung Italian island of Pantelleria, an outpost for celebrities wanting to discreetly recharge.

A Bigger Splash is a film to be savored, especially if you're able to appreciate its slow and sensuous rhythms.

A sensuous and thought-provoking adult drama dealing with temptation, sexuality and carnal desires.

"A Bigger Splash"? More like a small trickle.

Fiennes dominates the screen, his formidable co-stars, and the even more formidable Mediterranean scenery as a man both possessed and obsessed.

A study in charisma, with two wildly different performances at its center.

Perhaps I just didn’t “get” it all, but as it stands, it’s less of a big splash and more of a small ripple.

A vivid and lavish feast for the eyes, A Bigger Splash takes an assemblage of indescribably talented actors and puts them in a pressure cooker of sex and vice.

Guadagnino leaves us with much to consider, and even more to appreciate in the artful quality of his filmmaking.

Positively drenched in thick, tasty Euro-ambiance, the film serves up tantalizing characters and even more tantalizing ideas before turning shockingly tame, predictable and, well, American during the second half.