Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Pool

Play trailer Poster for The Pool 2007 1h 44m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A wealthy family fascinates a working-class youth (Venkatesh Chavan).
Watch on AMC+ Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Pool

The Pool

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) 11/16/2012
3/5
[A] wholly unobjectionable, likeably performed but faintly soporific drama ... Go to Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 11/16/2012
4/5
It tells you a lot about South India, its essentially rural culture and the stifling poverty of its underclass. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian 11/15/2012
4/5
Smith's film is natural and unforced, with a winning fluency and calm observational style. Go to Full Review Adam Lowes CineVue 02/05/2019
4/5
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. Go to Full Review Alistair Harkness Scotsman 12/17/2012
3/5
Though plot-wise nothing much happens, Smith elicits strong sense of place and teases out the film's themes ... Go to Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) 11/18/2012
It's a subtle, truthful, moving story of class, ambition, friendship and romantic yearning, extremely well acted by a largely non-professional cast. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
@AlexMVP 03/21/2015 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! See more 09/25/2014 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. See more 09/10/2014 Very slow and boring. See more 11/13/2013 One of the few films about India that actually feels like India. See more 07/17/2013 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 See more 06/12/2013 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. See more Read all reviews
The Pool

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Chris Smith

Director

Venkatesh Chavan

Venkatesh

Jahangir Badshah

Jhangir

Ayesha Mohan

Ayesha

Nana Patekar

Nana

Chris Smith

Screenwriter

More Like This

View All
Singham 57% 70% Singham Watchlist Before the Rains 51% 50% Before the Rains Watchlist Red Alert: The War Within 17% 41% Red Alert: The War Within Watchlist Guru 92% 84% Guru Watchlist Kabali 56% 64% Kabali Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
Critics Consensus: Bangkok Dangerous Plays Too Safe Sundance Awards: "Padre Nuestro," "Grace is Gone" Among Competition Winners
View All

The Pool

View more photos

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