The Pool (2008) Critic Reviews

Smith transfers an Iowa-based short story by Randy Russell to India's western Goa region -- and works in Hindi, primarily with novice actors. The result is a story both authentically specific and profoundly global.Read the full review

Uplifting without a drop of sap, the tale of a boy's obsession with a glittering swimming pool and how it changes four lives offers numerous pleasures and one of the most satisfying and resonant conclusions to be seen in recent cinema.Read the full review

In the manner of a Satyajit Ray film, The Pool avoids melodrama, the better to capture the texture of Venkatesh's vagabond life.Read the full review

Like Anderson, many directors claim to value local color, but few have gone as far, or achieved such impressive results, as has Chris Smith in The Pool.Read the full review

It's a funny, sweet-natured humanist character piece.Read the full review

Except for Patekar, the main actors are nonprofessionals, which works nicely here.Read the full review

The result is a vivid portrait, not just of one unforgettable young man but also of a country in transition.Read the full review

In its leisurely, exceedingly subtle way, The Pool charts Venkatesh's gradual awakening to the larger world.Read the full review