A Little Too Mysterious
‘A BIGGER SPLASH’ TRAILER REVIEW BY METRO CREW
A rock star (Tilda Swinton) and her filmmaker boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts) are vacationing in Italy when her ex-boyfriend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson) come to visit. That’s really all we know about this film. It seems to be a pretty spectacle, but the trailer doesn’t make the plot very clear.
A Bigger Splash opens at Kahala Theatre May 27.
JAIMIE: What exactly did I just watch? I think this could be a compelling movie, if only I could figure out what exactly is going on. Good trailers tell you just enough about the story without giving away too much. This trailer gave away nothing at all, save for the inevitable destruction in each relationship.
PAIGE: I went into this trailer thinking this movie was about DOLPHINS because I have no idea. “A Bigger Splash” sounds like it should be a dolphin adventure sequel, or something. Real truths. But instead it looks like this film is actually about a … couple swap that turns deadly? Which is also cool. I guess. Though I bet watching Tilda Swinton cavort with dolphins would probably be more fun.
NICOLE: I came to the same conclusion … that they swap. Which is kind of disgusting because one “couple” is a dad/daughter combo and it just made me feel really weird. Maybe Swinton’s character and Fiennes’ character were former love interests? That’s the only way I can see the swap working out plot-wise. And then Schoenaerts’ character is pissed that his current girlfriend’s ex-lover shows up and he bangs the dude’s daughter in spite.
CHRISTINA: I actually am pretty excited to see this — although I’m not entirely sure why because I also agree with everything that’s being said.
It does seem convoluted. At first I got a sense that it was a relationship drama with Tilda Swinton questioning her decision to remain with her boyfriend, who’s made to seem dull in comparison to Ralph Fiennes. Then all of a sudden someone maybe murdered someone else?
JAIMIE: The only cast member who comes across compellingly enough is Tilda Swinton, but then she doesn’t have to try very hard to achieve that. Also, why is Dakota Johnson a thing? To be fair, I haven’t seen her in anything, but in every trailer I have watched her in, I just feel meh.
CHRISTINA: Fiennes alone here seems like enough for me to want to see this movie. He looks like he is just having so much fun with this performance. Like, I want to hang out with this character.
PAIGE: I’ve seen Ralph Fiennes play the villain in so many movies that I kind of am assuming he’s the villain here. And I agree with Jaimie that Dakota Johnson somehow is making a negative impression here. Like, I’ve already forgotten everything she said and did, three minutes after watching the trailer.
JAIMIE: I feel like perhaps the film trailer editor purposefully made it all a jumble of nothing to incite interest, but that only irritates me. I don’t care that it was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. I still don’t know what this movie is about, and I can’t say I find myself wanting to watch it at all.
PAIGE: The trailer itself is quite confusing with its array of random scenes and seems to imply that the finished product will be equally un-moored and lost. Some trailers can do random flashes of scenes and be super kickass (see: Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), but this one just seems … whatever.
