Movies
‘The Pool’ Review – It’s Man vs. Croc vs. Abortion in Ridiculously Fun Thriller! [Fantastic Fest]
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that is so stupid and so aware of that stupidity that you can’t help but be won over by its charms. It knows exactly what kind of movie it’s trying to be and doesn’t have any pretenses about being “high art.” It knows what viewers are expecting and playfully toys with those expectations, stringing them along on a roller coaster of fun. Ping Lumpraploeng‘s The Pool, which won the special mention award for “Most Fun Movie to See with an Audience” at Fantastic Fest last week, is that movie.
When dog trainer Day (Theeradej Wongpuapan) and his dog Lucky finish their photoshoot at an Olympic-size swimming pool, Day decides to celebrate by spending a relaxing afternoon napping on a raft in the pool. Unbeknownst to him, one of the crew members flips the switch on the pool’s drain, and he becomes trapped as the water level gradually drops. Things escalate slowly at first, seeing Day tear off a fingernail trying to climb up the pool’s wall, but it isn’t long before his girlfriend Koi (Ratnamon Ratchiratham) is knocked unconscious when she dives into the half-empty pool. Oh, and a wild crocodile has somehow become trapped with them as well, further complicating matters. Together, Day and Koi must avoid the crocodile and devise a plan to escape the pool before they die of hunger, thirst, or crocodile.
If you’re going into The Pool expecting realism, you’d best turn right back around. One-setting films usually require suspension of disbelief, but The Pool is on a whole other level. The premise itself is hard enough to swallow, but Lumprapleong does a good job of side-stepping any scrutiny over the logistics of the plot (for example, in Thailand pool ladders are not built into the pool itself, but rather attached with a rope so that they can be pulled out of the water at any time). Still, it does seem odd that there are no safety measures in play for an admittedly unique situation like this. But hey, suspend your disbelief a little more than you’re used to and you’ll be fine. Lumprapleong is fully aware of what he’s asking you to do and the rewards are bountiful, coming in the form of frequent set pieces of escalating bad luck. Because ladies and gentlemen, Day has the worst luck in the world.
In any other movie, these set pieces would seem mean-spirited*, but Lumpraploeng (who also wrote the screenplay) has his tongue planted firmly in cheek. Every possible thing that could go wrong does, to the point where The Pool might as well be called Murphy’s Law: The Movie. At first, these sequences (like the aforementioned fingernail bit) will inspire nervous chatter, but once Day’s cries for help to two pizza delivery guys are muted by an unexpected rainstorm, you can’t help but laugh.
The film’s playfulness, both in terms of structure and tone, reminds one of a Final Destination film (particularly the third one). There’s a Rube Goldberg-ian quality to most of the plot mechanics that, even though you know what the end result will be, there is a sadistic joy in seeing how it gets there. The film is masterfully paced, moving along at a good clip over the course of its 90 minutes. The only real misstep is the film’s opening, which sees Day’s broken leg get chomped on by the crocodile before giving us a “6 Days Earlier” title card. Lumpraploeng employs this gimmick to add tension to the proceedings, but it has the opposite effect.
As for the crocodile, it is a computer-generated creation but it’s not a particularly good one. The majority of the film is set in the daylight, which exposes the cartoonish CGI effects of the creature. You’ll never once think you’re looking at a real crocodile, but it’s not as bad as something you’d see on SyFy. The sound design, however, is top-notch. Every step the crocodile takes lands with a wet squish and every hiss it….hisses…..reverberates through the theater. So even though the crocodile may not look convincing, it sure does sound convincing.
While The Pool may seem like an entertaining little creature feature with no designs on any social commentary, it actually has a conservative through-line that is evident in every scene. Lumpraploeng’s film is a pro-life movie disguised as an aquatic horror movie. Koi is pregnant, but Day wants her to have an abortion. It’s easy to see what’s going on here: Day is being punished over and over again for wanting Koi to have an abortion since the operation is only legal in Thailand if there is a health issue or if the fetus is a product of rape or incest. Abortions cannot be performed upon request and, as in many religions, it is considered a sin. It’s a difficult theme to ignore since it features so prominently in the plot, but it feels out of place to put such a heavy subject in an otherwise silly film.
Politics aside, The Pool is still a ridiculously fun time at the movies. There is a self-awareness built into every frame that is endearing from the start. You’ll either be with it or you won’t be, depending on how you react to the premise alone. If you’re with it, you’ll be in for one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences you’ll have this year.
*SPOILER ALERT/TRIGGER WARNING: As the programmer introducing the film warned our audience before The Pool started, Lucky the dog is not, in fact, lucky. His death is one of the more cruel and extended animal death sequences I have seen in a film, but it does actually serve a purpose to the plot so it can’t be called gratuitous. Nevertheless, I thought it would be beneficial for you to know what you’re in for if you decide to check out The Pool whenever it gets released.
The Pool had its Texas Premiere at Fantastic Fest and is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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