shn7945 Beautiful movie. I am frankly really surprised at the high quality of every aspect of the filmmaking! Maybe the most 'authentic' look at people in India - and this is compared to the good (non-bollywood) movies made in India as well as movies made here about India. The sense of place is really strong. The story is completely 'real' without any tricks to make it sensational. The cinematography is really amazing, and the feel of the whole thing gentle and warm, without being hokey in any way. Using real people instead of actors is a very good idea - seeing this makes me wonder why we bother with real actors at all. :) I hope Smith paid all these people really well even though he obviously didn't make anything from it. I'm really glad that this movie is available on iTunes.

grumpy-3 In this age of high tech and cgi abundance, it is a welcome treat to come across a film made with so much love. a film of beautiful observation, of much warmth and tenderness. never sloppy or sentimental but with true emotion. that it was made by an American in India with no knowledge of the language and indeed the culture is even more remarkable. chris smith whose background has been three great documentaries brings back humanist cinema, whether he has seen the films of satyajit ray or not, he reflects that man's ability to show people at the bottom of the ladder with real dignity and intelligence. the pool will draw you in and immerse into this world and leave you feeling nourished with the truth of humanity. there is considerable humour and pathos from the two young amateur leads with a natural chemistry between them and the professional actors. one thousand times better than slumdog millionaire this truly says something about India

Howard Schumann Going for a swim in a swimming pool is an everyday occurrence for most young people. For eighteen-year old Venkatesh (Venkatesh Chavan), however, it represents a life of privilege to which he has no hopes of attaining. Poor and illiterate, Venkatesh is a tall, wiry young man who works as a roomboy making beds, cleaning rooms, and scrubbing toilets in a hotel in Panjim in the Indian State of Goa, a former Portuguese colony. His spare time is taken up, not with cricket matches or sailing, but with selling plastic bags on the streets with his eleven-year-old friend Jhangir (Jhangir Badshah) who has no parents and also cannot read or write. Based on co-screenwriter Randy Russell's short story set in Iowa City, Iowa and transported to India by director Chris Smith, The Pool is thoroughly without condescension or efforting at multicultural "sensitivity".Reminiscent of the realism of the Italian masters and the quiet humanism of Satyajit Ray, Smith, a filmmaker from Milwaukee, best known for his 1999 documentary American Movie, uses mainly non-professional actors to tell a simple story about real people simply engaged in life. Many of the stories are taken directly from the boys' life and Smith wisely avoids imposing his preconceived notions of how life is there for them. That sense of balance and proportion is what gives The Pool a special resonance. Spoken in Hindi (a language Smith does not speak) with English subtitles, The Pool is rich in detail and feels completely natural, as if it is unfolding right before our eyes with the camera merely following the characters around to see what will happen next.On one of his walks into the more affluent suburbs, Venkatesh climbs a hillside and sees a swimming pool in the backyard of a neighbor's villa and becomes obsessed with the idea of swimming in it. What especially interests him is the fact that no one ever seems to swim in it which he longs to do. Climbing onto a mango tree near the property to get a better view, Venkatesh thinks of different ways of getting into the pool and shrugs off Jahangir who tells him "The closest you're going to get to that pool is cleaning it." Venkatesh, however, makes friends with the residents of the villa – an almost silent upper class man from Mumbai (Nana Patekar) who offers him work in their garden. Soon he becomes interested in the man's snooty daughter Ayesha (Ayesha Mohan), whose urban sophistication would make her at home in New York or Chicago.While the social and economic divide is too much to give Venkatesh much of a chance with Ayesha, they nevertheless develop a charming friendship and go on boat rides with Jahangir and visit an abandoned fort. When the three are just relaxing and being together, they are just kids enjoying themselves and there is no consciousness of class. The gap between them surfaces, however, when Ayesha refuses his offering of a cup of chai or some papadums at a vendor's stand. When the two boys bicker at the fort, Ayesha sullenly calls them children and stomps off. Eventually, Venkatesh is hired as a gardener by the owner who takes a paternal interest in him, leading to a surprising life altering choice and a new understanding of the world.

reedsligar I watched "The Pool" today, because I didn't have anything better to do. I was expecting it to be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. The premise of the film is a lower class Indian boy who becomes obsessed with a pool. He offers to work for the family who lives there in order to swim in it without being a thief. As much as that sounds like a non-existing storyline, it really isn't. The characters develop throughout the film and you can really relate to them. I found the film quite entertaining and uplifting, even though the subject matter is depressing. The depiction of lower class India was perfect, you will now thank God that you don't have to scrub bathroom floors. The ending is incredibly touching, and it made me thankful that I can go to school. I highly recommend this film. - Reed S.