CAST: Charlotte Rampling (Sarah Morton), Ludivine Sagnier (Julie), Charles Dance (John Bosload), Marc Fayolle (Marcel), Jean-Marie Lamour (Franck), Mireille Mossé (Marcel's Daughter) SCR: Emmanuèle Bernheim, François Ozon DIR: François Ozon STUDIO: Focus Features MPAA: R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use. RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes The poster for “Swimming Pool” has a beautiful woman laying by a sparkling pool of blue water and the tagline, “On the surface, all is calm.” The same can be said for this languid, deliberately paced mystery that is in no hurry to get where it's going, but packs a punch when it gets there. And don't even bother trying to stay ahead of this complex, twisty film. This is a case where you need to have all the puzzle pieces before starting to put the picture together. Director Francois Ozon weaves an intriguing web – of writer and muse, repression and release, murder and rage – without ever once turning up the music too loud to tell us how to react or giving in to the slightest cliché. The result is a sexy, grown-up yarn that's also a great showcase for the acting talents of the legendary Charlotte Rampling and the sexy, burgeoning Ludivine Sagnier. Sarah Morton (Rampling) is a successful mystery writer due to a series of books she's been cranking out over the years. The passion has long ago gone out of her work and one look at the brittle, uptight Rampling shws that her fire has gone out as well. She accepts an offer from her John Bosload (Charles Dance), her publisher and friend for twenty years, to stay at his house in the south of France as long as she needs to. As Sarah becomes acclimated to her new surroundings, the movie slips into a quiet, tranquil – almost tedious – sequence of events. She shops, she sets up her computer, she explores the house, all wordless and without music. But it's not long after she gets settled in, that her newfound peace is interrupted by the arrival of Julie (Sangnier), the free-willed publisher's daughter, someone he never thought to mention. Julie prances around topless, listens to loud music, smokes and drinks. She also brings home a different man every night and has loud sex, much to the chagrin of the uptight Sarah. She reveals secrets about her father and his relationship with her mother, who is not the woman he married. Both women are damaged and have vices. For the rebellious Julie, it's the practice of making herself accessible to any and every man she can bring home. For Sarah, there are hints of binge eating and stolen drinks. As the women circle each other, Sarah becomes attracted to Julie in a primal way. She's repulsed, she's fascinated, she's jealous, and ultimately, inspired by this burst of youthful energy. She makes Julie the subject of her new book, even going so far as stealing a peek at Julie's diary. Franck (Jean-Marie Lamour) is a swaggering waiter from the local café. After flirting with Sarah and awakening a long-forgotten sexuality and attractiveness in her, he shows up one night as one of Julie's potential bedfellows. What follows is a fascinating series of events, ending in a sequence in which the “mystery” lies. To reveal more would be unfair, but to tune out because this film is slow getting where it's going would be worse. When the credits roll, the real magic begins as you begin to piece together what really happened, what was real and what was symbolic. But despite a rather open-ended capper, there really is one true reality that cements everything together. The clues are all there. Everyone and everything represents something. The performances are excellent. Rampling does more with a gesture than pages of dialogue. Sangnier is at once at object of lust and frightened little girl. Sure, she's confident about her body and her sexuality, but not much else. And despite a first third that seems to drag, it's only after “Swimming Pool” has concluded that it's quite apparent there wasn't a single wasted moment in the film. I can't wait to see it again. --reviewed by DENNIS WILLIS