The Pool (2008)

CABANA BOYS Nana Patekar and Venkatesh Chavan star together in The Pool

The resonant, beautifully naturalistic drama The Pool is a return to the familiar subject of haves and have-nots for director Chris Smith (American Job, American Movie): A poor young man (newcomer Chavan) becomes entranced by the swimming pool of a rich man (veteran star Patekar) and begins to work in the owner's garden. But in a winning gamble for such an American filmmaker, 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. A-