Swimming, Masculinity and Cinema in Gilles Lellouche’s Le Grand Bain (2018)

Le Grand Bain, a feature film directed by Gilles Lellouche and released in 2008, was highly praised in the French press for its attempt to challenge traditional hegemonic masculinity. Its story follows eight middle-aged men in professional or emotional crisis who set themselves a challenge: to win the male synchronized swimming world championship. Through the humorous contrast between the male characters and a sport culturally reserved for girls, this film offers an opportunity to study the current trend of redefining masculinity, especially in a sports domain that is often accused of having an essentialist understanding of the differences between the sexes. This comedy serves as a counterpoint to the predominantly feminist research in gender studies, shedding light on the ‘decline of masculinity’ lamented by some. A contextual study and analysis of the attempts of the director to deconstruct traditional masculinity demonstrate the metaphorical meanings of water in the transmission of certain human values.