The Pool (2007 film)
| The Pool | |
|---|---|
The Pool poster
|
|
| Directed by | Chris Smith |
| Produced by | Kate Noble |
| Written by | Chris Smith Randy Russell |
| Starring | Venkatesh Chavan Jhangir Badshah Ayesha Mohan Nana Patekar |
| Music by | Didier Leplae Joe Wong |
| Cinematography | Chris Smith |
| Edited by | Barry Poltermann |
| Distributed by | Vitagraph Films |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Hindi English (subtitles) |
The Pool is a 2007 drama film co-written and directed by Chris Smith. The film stars non-professional actors Venkatesh Chavan and Jhangir Badshah, as well as Bollywood veteran Nana Patekar and newcomer Ayesha Mohan.
The story revolves around a young janitor working at a hotel in the port city of Panjim, India, who sees from his perch in a mango tree a luxuriant garden and shimmering pool hidden behind a wall. In making whatever efforts he can to better himself, Venkatesh offers his services to the wealthy owner of the home. Not content to simply dream about a different life, Venkatesh is inquisitive about the home's inhabitants and his curiosity changes the shape of his future.
Though filmed in Hindi, a language Smith didn't know, the film earned good reviews. Besides winning a Special Jury prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, the film won accolades from Geoffrey Gilmore, director of the Sundance Film Festival. In the same year, it was screened at the Vienna International Film Festival and International Film Festival of India.
The DVD was released on 13 July 2010.
After American Job (1996), American Movie (1999), Home Movie (2001) and The Yes Men (2003), Milwaukee-based director Chris Smith read a story, written by Randy Russel, about a person from a graduate school in Iowa. This person, who is out running, sees a swimming pool and gets obsessed with swimming in it. He follows around the people who own the place and tries to befriend them. However, Smith clarified that the film's story evolved from it in a "completely different way from there". He said that though they had a draft in hand while beginning the shooting, his goal was to let the environment (the actors, their experiences and observations) shape the story.
...
Wikipedia