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Sex and intrigue play out under the Italian sun in "A Bigger Splash," an absorbing character drama dominated by a fierce performance by Tilda Swinton.

Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a glam-rock star who's vacationing with her filmmaker boyfriend, Paul DeSmedt (Matthias Schoenaerts), on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria (book your trip now — the place is gorgeous). Marianne has recently undergone vocal-cord surgery and is under orders to rest her voice. That proves difficult when Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes), her hard-partying record producer and ex-lover, shows up unexpectedly, along with his nymphet daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson).

While lazing by the pool and hiking through the volcanic rocks, the dynamics among the four characters slowly sour, as snippets of their shared past come to light. Then, late in the movie, something happens that requires the presence of the police.

Director Luca Guadagnino ("I Am Love," also with Swinton) takes his own sweet time getting there, though, and the languid pace works against the psychological tension among the characters. The cast is strong, with Swinton particularly powerful even though her voice barely rises above a whisper.

'A Bigger Splash'

Opens Friday, May 27, at area theaters; rated R for graphic nudity, some strong sexual content, language and brief drug use; 125 minutes.