A Bigger Splash

Rock star Marianne Lane has had vocal cord surgery and wants to recuperate with her lover Paul in a villa on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria in southern Italy. Marianne has to take care of her voice and speaks little and quietly. It is doubtful whether she will ever be able to return to the world's great stages. She enjoys her time with Paul, who doesn't make a big fuss about himself and is always at her side. However, Paul, an unemployed documentary filmmaker, has his own demons to contend with: he has only recently become a dry alcoholic. Then Marianne and Paul receive an unexpected visit from Marianne's ex-boyfriend Harry, who has his extremely attractive 17-year-old daughter Penelope in tow. Harry makes no secret of the fact that he wants to win Marianne back for himself. He also likes to brag about his glorious past as a successful music producer. From then on, a tangled web of relationships develops at the villa's swimming pool. While the old passion between Marianne and Harry flares up again, which Marianne tries to suppress, Penelope casts a spell over the depressed Paul with her lascivious charisma. Although Marianne never questions her relationship with Paul, the past of the three adults continues to resonate in their tranquil everyday life on the island. When Penelope tries to seduce the older man on an outing with Paul, long-suppressed feelings make their way to the surface. One night, Paul and Harry, who is returning home drunk, get into an argument that ends with a man's body floating at the bottom of the pool.