defiantly to Bosload at the end of the film. Ozon has said: Release Box office Swimming Pool grossed $10,130,108 in the United States and $12,311,215 internationally for a worldwide total of $22,441,323. It had a budget of €6.1 million (about US$7.8 million), meaning that it was a financial success. Critical reception The film was well received and earned "freshness" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with most critics' praise centering on the two leads. The site's critical consensus reads, "A sensual thriller with two engaging performers demanding our undivided attention." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 70 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, writing, "François Ozon, the director and co-writer (with Emmanuèle Bernheim), understands as Hitchcock did the small steps by which a wrong decision grows in its wrongness into a terrifying paranoid nightmare". Neil Smith of the BBC also praised the film, calling it a "compelling psychological melodrama" and "Hitchcockian thriller." Sarmad Iqbal of the International Policy Digest wrote that the film's "intriguing yet mystifying mix of erotica and thriller set in a part of France that is a far cry from bustling Paris makes you fall in love with it. It is not just the plot, the setting and the way actors have immaculately performed their roles will make you shower praise on this film but also the soundtrack by Philippe Rombi". Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times called film's director a "master of mood", while Varietys David Rooney called the film a "sophisticated [and] unpredictable mystery". References External links 2003 films 2003 independent films 2003 multilingual films 2003 psychological thriller films 2000s English-language films 2000s erotic thriller films 2000s French-language films 2000s mystery thriller films British erotic thriller films British independent films British multilingual films British mystery thriller films British psychological thriller films English-language French films Erotic mystery films Films about sexual repression Films about writers Films directed by François Ozon Films set in France Films shot in France French erotic thriller films French independent films French multilingual films French mystery thriller films French psychological thriller films 2000s British films 2000s French films