Pool, The (ATOM Study Guide)

Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world. This is where generations of children have learnt to swim, where the diehard have braved the frigid waters of one hundred winters, where the young and beautiful have come to bond and bake in the hot sun.

The Pool is a stunning cinematic experience with a soundtrack that harks back to the 1960s and a cast of characters who each have a story to tell. It speaks to the enduring power of community and our collective longing to find it.

No matter your background or where you’re at – everyone is equal in their swimsuits.

Curriculum Links:

The Pool is suitable for students in Years 9-12 in the learning areas of:

• English
• Media Studies
• Health and Physical Education

Media Studies sections on film analysis may also be relevant to tertiary film study units.

The Pool also has relevance to the General capabilities of Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Personal and Social Capability.

This study guide examines the following topics:

• Language of metaphor and symbolism in selected poems of Frost and Dickinson;
• Documentary and fiction film – concepts of poetic cinema;
• Film analysis of The Pool as a documentary – sound and vision, visual pacing, editing and music;
• History, geography and design of Bondi Icebergs – the concept of an ocean swimming pool, map-making, floor plans;
• The pool as a social community, a social leveller offering inclusivity;
• Endorphin moments;
• Director’s view: the pool as an on-screen ‘character’;
• Creating a range of illustrative and written material, including short film, fiction and promotional displays, blogs, poetry, reviews, comic strips and storyboards, through understanding, synthesising and adapting information derived from the film and further reading.