Talk:A Bigger Splash (2015 film)

SPOILER ALERT. This movie page deserves to have the plot section substantially expanded, especially focusing on the events after the drowning. Pertinent plots points include why Penelope does not initially reveal in the preliminary police investigation that she speaks Italian; that Paul is clearly concerned about wounds that he received in the pool fight with Harry and which left a wisp of blood in the water; that Marianne sees the wounds in the morning when the maid wakes her up; what Paul does during the extended period of time between the drowning, which happens at night, and the early morning, when he finally sneaks into his bed with Marianne; and especially the conversation between Marianne and Penelope at the police station in which Marianne pointedly asks Penelope if she had seen Paul's wounds the day before when she suspects that Paul and Penelope might have had sex--Penelope says "yes" and indicates the correct placement of the wounds. How could she have possibly known that information? It appears that Paul went to Penelope's bedroom after the drowning and if not actually having sex with her, at least showed her the wounds and told her that it was important to her to say that she had seen them the day before the drowning so this would provide an explanation apart from how he actually got them. (This explains why Penelope shows no surprise when the news of Harry's death is revealed.) So when Marianne asked Penelope at the police station about the wounds, she was also indirectly asking if Penelope and Paul had sex since the wounds were in a location, under his shirt, that would normally not be seen unless Paul's shirt was off. When Penelope says that she saw the wounds the day before, she is obviously lying for Paul. However, Paul appears to directly or indirectly communicate to Marianne that he was responsible in some part for Harry's death when he says "I'm sorry" and breaks down in her arms. This indicates that Marianne knows the correct version of how Paul got the wounds and also understands that Penelope lied to save Paul, even if it meant conveying, correctly or incorrectly, that she had sex with Paul. At the airport, Marianne chides Penelope for deliberately hindering communication with the initial police investigation by not letting on that she speaks Italian, thus allowing a clumsy translation attempt by the maid. She also chides her for lying to her and Paul; this is on a minor scale for lying about her age, 22 instead of 17, but also for lying about saying she saw the wounds when earlier than she actually had, which aided Paul in his position with respect to the crime but also let Marianne believe that Penelope and Paul had sex when they might not have. This level of protection afforded Paul would have been transferred to the police in Penelope's unshown interrogation; and note that while Penelope is allowed to leave the island, the police have instructed Paul and Marianne to remain. So while the final scene involving the autograph in the rain for the police detective might not be last Paul and Marianne see of the police, Paul has effectively been given protection by Penelope's testimony.

I had the advantage of seeing the last 45 minutes of this movie a second time in an adjoining theater immediately after the first viewing. This second viewing, aided by the fact that I sat closer to the screen and could hear the dialog more clearly, was hugely helpful in teasing out the ending to this movie which on first viewing, including some indistinct dialog (including Marianne's whispers), was frustratingly vague. I think there is very little ambiguity in this plot including the crime aspect and surrounding events. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.117.196.19 (talk) 10:44, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

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