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      The Pool

      2007 1h 44m Drama List
      94% 48 Reviews Tomatometer 73% 500+ Ratings Audience Score A wealthy family fascinates a working-class youth (Venkatesh Chavan). Read More Read Less
      The Pool

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      Critics Consensus

      Beautifully crafted with loosely drawn characters and a lilting, natural pace, Chris Smith's The Pool features a universal message to which everyone can relate.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member The actual pool in this story is brilliantly used metaphorically to intertwine lives that would not otherwise come into this kind of intimate contact. One desires the pool greatly as an almost magical fantasy, while the owners of the pool do not enter it because of the pain it holds for them. With that as the backdrop we have the very poor and the very rich coming into closer relationship with each other causing a certain amount of maturity and healing for the other. There's not much drama in this journey either, because it's the subtlety of it that has it make sense and even be more real. After all, they are strangers from very different classes of society so the intimacy will have limits and the film portrays that in a very realistic way while still making it a very touching story that can cross the societal boundaries. I also find it very interesting that an American director made this Hindi language film. Incredibly well done! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A bit slow to develop, but still worth every minute. Brilliant. BTW many of the details listed below are in error. Run time 1:38, NR, warrants only a PG. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Very slow and boring. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the few films about India that actually feels like India. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member The lack of cinematography and effects make it more realistic and enjoyable A somewhat heartbreaking ending to see his obsession with the pool literally rob him of all he desired Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member An American documentary director takes a shot at a fiction film that takes place in India, with a script in the native language. And he nails it. It's unassuming yet revelatory; beautiful yet realistic; tender among harsh conditions. The actual pool looms over Venkatesh, the main character. What is its grander significance? Why is it pristine in an overgrown garden? Why is it a focal point without swimmers? It ends as one chapter ends with so many possibilities for the characters' futures. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) [A] wholly unobjectionable, likeably performed but faintly soporific drama ... Rated: 3/5 Nov 16, 2012 Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard It tells you a lot about South India, its essentially rural culture and the stifling poverty of its underclass. Rated: 4/5 Nov 16, 2012 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Smith's film is natural and unforced, with a winning fluency and calm observational style. Rated: 4/5 Nov 15, 2012 Full Review Adam Lowes CineVue A gentle, leisurely-told tale which strenuously avoids anything resembling even the slightest trace of melodrama, and it manages to find moving moments through subtle observation. Rated: 4/5 Feb 5, 2019 Full Review Alistair Harkness Scotsman Though plot-wise nothing much happens, Smith elicits strong sense of place and teases out the film's themes ... Rated: 3/5 Dec 17, 2012 Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) It's a subtle, truthful, moving story of class, ambition, friendship and romantic yearning, extremely well acted by a largely non-professional cast. Nov 18, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A wealthy family fascinates a working-class youth (Venkatesh Chavan).
      Director
      Chris Smith
      Screenwriter
      Chris Smith, Randy Russell
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      Hindi
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 10, 2018
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $94.9K
      Runtime
      1h 44m