The Pool review

It sounds unpromising: a symbolic study of India’s class divide, from a US director who doesn’t speak Hindi.

But Chris Smith’s Sundance prizewinner is grounded by his documentary training. It’s an un-touristy Goa-set drama about a poor teenager, whose daydreams about a local swimming pool bring him into contact with its owner.

Smith casts non-pro Venkatesh Chavan alongside Bollywood star Nana Patekar to achieve credible chemistry, enhanced by his choice of quiet observation rather than Slumdog -style pizzazz and the delicate emotional kick and finespun simplicity of a short story.