The celluloid fascination with suburban family drama continues unabated in Dakota Gorman and Jackson Reid Williams' latest film, "The Girl in the Pool". This suburban-set thriller follows a hedonistic patriarch and the twisted turn of events following the murder of his young mistress. Despite treading well-worn cinematic ground, the plot thrills with numerous unexpected revelations.
Freddie Prinze Jr. delivers a formidable performance as Tom, the former heartthrob turned aging businessman caught in the web of his misdeeds. A secret tryst in the family pool culminates in murder, with Tom as the prime suspect. The narrative expertly leads the audience down this path, yet the true culprit and the reasons behind the murder remain tantalizingly ambiguous.
As events unfold, Tom's attempts to cover up his crimes coincide with a surprise party hosted by his wife Kristen, portrayed by Monica Potter, and their grown children Alex and Rose. The heightened tension and creeping paranoia push all characters to their breaking points, with the entire family eventually implicated in the crime.
Gorman's directing occasionally takes inventive twists, such as a change of perspective showcasing Tom's deep immersion in his own crisis. Perhaps a stronger exploration of the dark humor embedded in Williams' script could have turned this thriller into a provocative black comedy.
However, the film falls short in its depiction of female characters. Hannah, the murdered mistress, and Kristen, the wife, are underwritten primarily as plot devices. Despite this, notable performances by Gabrielle Haugh and Monica Potter add depth to their characters.
"The Girl in the Pool" is a tour-de-force for Prinze Jr., who excels as the deeply flawed Tom. Despite attempts at redemption, Tom’s irreversible sequence of bad decisions indicates a critique of the lack of consequences for white male rage. The film, however, fails to hit this point home, leaving the narrative in the realm of the thoroughly average rather than rising to biting satire.
