A second collaboration for Tilda Swinton, here playing Bowie-esque rock star Marianne Lane with her
usual aplomb, and Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love), A Bigger Splash also boasts a spectacular comic turn from Ralph Fiennes as record producer Harry, who dive-bombs back into Marianne’s life, shattering the sweet silence of her new existence with attractively brooding partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts).
This film is a study in contrasts; flashbacks to a glittering, degenerate superstar lifestyle jangling between lush, expansive explorations of sleepy Sicilian heat, and Swinton’s expressive, voiceless gestures (Marianne is on vocal rest after throat surgery) an elegant foil to Fiennes’ manic loquacity. Dakota Johnson simmers as Harry’s maybe-daughter Penelope, providing the final sharp corner of the unsettling love square that soon emerges.
At the LFF’s late-night gala presentation, director Guadagnino confided that his favourite scene was one that didn’t even make it into the film. “We shot it in London, at the Tate Gallery, and it happened in front of the great painting by David Hockney. It’s a beautiful scene, but we ended up not having room for it.”
He also spoke highly of star Dakota Johnson and his hopes to work with her again in the future, possibly on his upcoming remake of Suspiria. “Dakota is the joy of life, and I love her, and I want to work with her all the time, so yes, I’d like to do this together.”
A Bigger Splash opens in UK cinemas next February.
*Reporting by Toni Flatley, with thanks to Go Think Big and O2. For amazing work opportunities go to Go Think Big.co.uk. *