This film is a reflection on what may have happened immediately before and immediately after the scene immortalized in one of David Hockney's most famous paintings.
A man in a salmon colored sport coat leans over looking into a pool. In the pool a naked young man is swimming toward him.
Are they lovers? Are they about to fight? Are they about to make up from a fight they recently had?
These are among the speculations the film maker presents. While the painting IS haunting and I've often wondered these same things myself, this film treatment suffers a bit. One of the most memorable aspects of the painting is the quality of the light and the realism that lies just beneath the surface of the painted images. Plus, there's a quietude about the moment that Hockney has preserved. Allowing to the flow of time to resume, as done in this film, and presenting us with video images somehow renders the moment less memorable.
What I found most telling about this film was that it ended with the portrait. I was once again struck by just how great it was. When one bases a work such as this on a great image one must be prepared to be found lacking a bit by comparison.