The swimming pool is a surprisingly common motif in the movie world. Not only does water look great on camera (see Daniel Craig in Casino Royale), it also serves as the perfect metaphor. Whether it’s suggesting that a character is out of their depth, shallow as a paddling pool, or set to take a trip into their own subconscious, the act of swimming is a potent symbol.
Hollywood movies are filled with watery scenes, with everything from Sunset Boulevard to Jaws, The Graduate, Skyfall, and Spring Breakers throwing their characters in at the deep end. Arthouse cinema is similarly fixated with swimming and pool scenes, presumably because they offer the ideal combination of glittering aesthetic and intriguing symbolism.
So, let’s dive in to the world of penthouse pools and after dark dips. Here are five of the best swimming scenes in movie history.
Let the Right One In (2008)
The original version of this film is Swedish, and most cinema fans agree that it outshines the later US remake. One of the creepiest scenes is when we find out that preteen Eli is capable of some very scary things. When main character Oskar is caught by bullies in the school swimming pool, she exacts a very bloody revenge. The scene is skillfully shot because all the audience sees is Oskar hiding and holding his breath underwater as limbs and other body parts fall in around him.
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Gattaca
In Gattaca, Vincent and his brother Anton play a game of chicken, which Anton always wins. Vincent finally beats his brother in chicken and has to save his brother from drowning. Later Vincent reveals, “You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.” The only issue with this, is that Anton was the one who was drowning, i.e. the one who hadn’t saved energy for the swim back. If Vincent didn’t save energy for the swim back, how was he able to save his brother? Hmm. Cool scene nevertheless.
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Romeo and Juliet (1996)
The epic pool moment from Baz Lurmann’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is another iconic scene. In fact, it has been parodied countless times and is now synonymous with that giddy feeling of first love. Whether it’s realistic or not is another question, but it is rather lovely. After Romeo turns up at Juliet’s house after hours, they jump into the pool to avoid detection. Cue billowing skirts, tender kisses, and romantic platitudes aplenty.
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It Follows (2014)
Horror flick It Follows was released to mass critical acclaim. It manages to emulate, celebrate, and completely reinvent the genre. The finale is very strange indeed, but there’s nothing predictable about this movie. According to the director, he wanted to show how utterly out of their depth the main characters were. It works because putting them in a swimming pool, stalked by a supernatural monster, makes for very chilling viewing.
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All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
The swimming pool scene in this thriller packs a real punch. It provides a shocking start to an intense movie and sets a precedent for the rest of the narrative. Mandy, a high school student, suddenly blossoms and starts to attract the attention of her male classmates. They invite her to a pool party which ends when the host tries to perform a dive from the roof. The short story is that it doesn’t go quite as planned. If you’re squeamish, you might want to keep your eyes closed for this one.
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