The Pool

A boy living in abject poverty works at a hotel and becomes fixed, to the point of obsession, on a swimming pool in the wealthy hills of Panjim in Goa. He watches it from a distance every day; he knows he does not belong there and still cannot stop looking. When he sets about meeting the mysterious family who live at the house, his life is turned upside down. The film tells the difference of class not through talk but through looking and distance, and at no point asks for pity for the boy. The account was shot in real locations, largely with actors who are not professionals, and keeps the rhythm of daily work. The pool is not a goal but the visible form of something out of reach. Venkatesh Chavan and Nana Patekar appear in Chris Smith’s ninety eight minute Hindi language film, completed in 2007.