Sundance Film #5: The Pool

The Pool
A filmmaker who returns to Sundance in a new guise is a familiar-enough occurence, but to return with gifts as unique as Chris Smith reveals in The Pool is rare in any year. In the same vein as his latest documentary work, Smith's creative acumen focuses on the gulf between the rich and poor, sharing insights, observations, poignancy and truth in a deceptively simple narrative.

The Pool is the story of Venkatesh, a "room boy" working at a hotel in Panjim, Goa, 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 simply to dream about a different life, Venkatesh is inquisitive about the home's inhabitants, and his curiosity changes the shape of his future.

Remarkably cogent and affecting, this is inspired storytelling distinctive for its ability to transmit a complete world view in just a phrase or brief conversation. Working in Hindi with young actors in a country obviously not his own, Smith has nevertheless created a superbly incisive portrait that will take its place on the global stage.
(Geoffrey Gilmore, 2007 Sundance Film Festival catalog)
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"Imagine I gave you a hundred rupees, and I gave your sister a hundred rupees and told you to buy whatever you want. You buy a shirt, she buys a dress. But how would you feel if she opens her bag and you see that she bought you a shirt, and you bought her a dress. You'd still have a shirt, but that feeling - that feeling that comes from giving. No one understands that anymore."

Before we even got to Park City, the three ladies in the car with us told us that "The Pool" had a lot of buzz going on, and we heard the same thing at one other venue. The Pirate said he picked it because it somehow reminded him of The Life of Pi, although the only the only similarities are the presence of a swimming pool and Indian boys. Like The Life of Pi, this movie showed resourcefulness, courage and faith that made it the best movie I've seen so far.

One of my favorite things about it is that the two boys, Venkatesh and Jhagir, are played by two boys named Venkatesh and Jhagir. I'm almost afraid to say much more, because I guarantee that this film will be screening everywhere soon and I want everyone to go out and see it. The most surprising thing is that it was made by an American, but it didn't show some kind of idealized or stereotypical India. It showed two boys, eleven and eighteen, who work at menial jobs in Panjim. They make spare pocket money by selling plastic bags to shoppers in the market place, and then spend the money on bottles of soda. Venkatesh sleeps on the floor of the lobby of the hotel where he works, and Jhagir pulls what looks like a tablecloth over his head and sleeps on a table at the restaurant where he works. Both would like to rise higher than menial labor, but the outlook is pretty bleak. You never once see the Taj Mahal, there isn't a quasi-religious glow over everything, and you never see the setting sun through eighteen tons of red dust while sitar music twangs in the background.

Please. Go and see it. You won't be sorry.

The Pirate says: Great movie. The only thing it lacks is a wiggly song and dance number.

My score: 5
The Pirate's score: 5