"The Reflection Pool"

"The Reflection Pool" was my favorite film from Monday. I really like water, the way it moves, it's mirrorlike qualities, the way it portrays objects, the calming effect it has on me. This film was just that -- calming. And yet my eyes were anything but calm as they raced about the screen looking for the slightest change in scenery. Once the actor doing a cannonball into the pool froze in mid-air, I started looking for other evidence of editing. I really liked when the reflection of two actors walking around the pool was shown, but the actors were not physically present. This added a sense of fantasy and magic to the pool, and made it seem unearthly and gave it greater power and presence than the average pool. When a man appeared from beneath the water and climbed out, nude, he seemed to have been born from the water. I also liked how, even though the pool was the main subject, a great deal of forest was shown in the background. After the nude man rose out of the water, he walked for a significant amount of time through the woods in the background, and was shown exiting the screen after he retrieved his clothing. Each succeeding event in the film made the pool more amazing. Some events were obvious, such as the nude man climbing out of the pool, but many were barely noticeable at first. The subtle changes in the scene challenged me to search the screen actively. Most of the films we have seen guide the audience's eyes to what the director wants them to see. This film, to me at least, made the audience work harder to perceive everything that happened in the film. Especially the things that occurred as reflections in the water, without subjects from which to be reflected. The constant movement in the water and slightly changing scenery around the pool disguised such occurrences to some extent, blurring them and softening their impact on the screen.