Aahana Swrup
‘Poolman’ is a whimsical, off-beat comedy film that follows a protagonist who somehow stumbles across a neo-noir, mystery-ridden conspiracy. LA resident Darren Barrenman lives in a trailer on a Tahitian Tiki apartment block and looks after the pool there. Alternatively, he is also an aspiring activist who unsuccessfully advocates for improvements to his neighborhood in weekly meetings with Councilman Stephen Toronkowski. As such, when Stephen’s new assistant, June Del Rey, approaches Darren with intel about the councilman’s potential corruption, it sends the Poolman on a no-holds-bar investigation.
Plagued by a recurring intuitive dream and surrounded by increasingly outlandish developments, Darren uncovers secrets about himself and his beloved city. The film is riddled with eccentric plot twists, unexpected cliches, and a blanket of absurdism that befuddles the storyline until its very end. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Poolman Plot Synopsis
The Poolman of Tahitian Tiki apartment, Darren Barrenman, lives an unusually varied life. He writes letters on a typewriter to his favorite fictional Californian Environment Activist, Erin Brockovich, updating her on his life. He’s dating the apartment manager, Susan, who is much more interested in the possibility of wedding bells in their future than he is. Instead, his attention is raptured by his feats of activism, which mainly involve attending the town council meeting and bombarding councilman Stephen Toronkowski with his ideas to better the city. Even though his ideas never take off, his friend, Jack, an aspiring filmmaker, finds Darren’s efforts interesting enough to follow him with a camera crew to turn his fight against the government into a documentary.
During one particular city hall meeting with Stephen, Darren’s speech becomes so charged it ends up landing him in jail overnight after he accidentally punches a guard. This unlocks a newfound appreciation for his safe profession as a Poolman, which only lasts so long once June Del Rey pays him a visit. June is Stephen’s new executive assistant, who apparently suspects her boss of colluding with the corrupt home developer Theodore “Teddy” Hollandaise. Since she’s worried about how far up the ladder the corruption goes, she can’t go to the authorities about her suspicions. Nonetheless, the same doesn’t stop her from recruiting Darren as the amateur Detective on the case.
Although Darren initially turns the offer down—a motion his best friend and twice-weekly therapist, Diane, supports—he ultimately decides to take on the investigation. Thus begins Poolman’s barely covert tailing of Stephen, whom he spots in a meeting at the racetracks with Hollandaise. Since his eclectic friend group accompanies him during the investigation, it also leads him to discover that Susan has left him for Wayne. Even though he tries to be happy for the pair, Darren’s frustrated sadness over the events persists.
As a result, Darren spirals into a depressive attitude, where he contemplates the convoluted dream, including a lizard and a tree, that haunts him every night. Eventually, another visit from June breaks him out of this slump, as she encourages him to get back to the investigation through her sad backstory and a romantically charged interaction. Soon enough, Darren is at Hollandaise’s office for a confrontation. During the meeting, he also meets William Van Patterson, a wealthy businessman with an almond farm. As for the actual meeting, wherein the dabbling Detective confronts Hollandaise with pictures of his meetings with Stephen, the latter refuses any part in corrupt deals. As such, Darren has one last lead to follow: The Moody Mule Cavern Club, where June believes the city’s best-kept secret lies.
Poolman Ending: What is Stephen Toronkowski’s Secret?
Even though Darren’s story operates more within the confines of his outlandish adventures and earnest relationships, a central mystery that attracts the audience’s attention remains afoot. From the get-go, Stephen Toronkowski and Darren maintain an unfriendly relationship as the latter consistently confronts the councilman with the city’s faults week in and week out. Consequently, once June enters the narrative with a proverbial smoking gun against Stephen, his character instantly becomes a subject of suspicion. His seeming allyship with the elusive Hollandaise, who has been established as the narrative menace due to his bulldozing of small businesses, further taints his image.
Therefore, Darren—and, by extension, the audience—expects a dark secret to be unraveled at The Moody Mule Cavern Club. Nonetheless, all that comes out during the excursion is Stephen Toronkowski’s surprisingly artistic side. As it turns out, Stephen is a drag queen who goes by the name Blanche, who puts on performances at The Moody Mule Cavern Club. Even though this revelation takes Darren aback, he doesn’t let it derail him from his investigation. As such, he confronts Stephen in his dressing room about his dealings with Hollandaise. Initially, the councilman fears that Darren will reveal his nighttime secret to his family.
Yet, the wholesome Darren, of course, has no intention of doing such a thing and instead supports Stephen in his endeavors. As a result, the two men find a footing, allowing themselves the space to connect with each other. Thus, Stephen reveals that although he used to be involved in some shady dealings, he has since realized the error of his ways. For the same reason, he is actually going after the people responsible for the corruption in town. However, before he can reveal any substantial information, a covert assassin shoots him down and throws the gun at Darren to taint it with his fingerprints. Before dying, Stephen shares one last clue, telling the Detective to “follow the water.”
Who Kills Stephen Toronkowski? Why?
Stephen Toronkowski dies of one unforeseen bullet to the heart, bleeding out in his dressing room while still half-dressed as Blanche. No one is around to witness the death except for Darren, his known City Hall nemesis, who will inevitably become the prime suspect for the murder after the police find his prints on the gun. Needless to say, nothing about the councilman’s death is straightforward. Consequently, the instance freaks Darren out, sending him back to the safety of his pool, which is empty for the first time. For a while, the pool becomes filled with nothing but confusion as its caretaker tries to make sense of the plots unraveling around him.
Eventually, after Darren seeks comfort from Diane and Jack—and stumbles across a news channel about a water tank—he connects Stephen’s dying words to William Van Patterson. The same, paired with an intuition-kindled-inkling about his dreams, leads Darren to arrive at the conclusion that his subconsciousness has been trying to tell him June has been betraying him all this time. Still, when he arrives at June’s place for a confrontation, the woman reveals yet another sad backstory about her connection to Van Patterson.
June tells Darren that she’s Van Patterson’s illegitimate daughter and that the man has been providing for her and her mother all these years in exchange for their silence about their connection to him. Nevertheless, now that her mother has grown sick, the businessman has equipped a new strategy of using June for his menacing plans. His latest plan involves stealing underground water from the city for his own unspecified benefits. However, his actions invited Stephen’s suspicions. For the same reason, Van Patterson used the declining health of June’s mother to blackmail her into foiling the councilman.
As such, June planned the retirement of Stephen’s previous assistant and snagged the job for herself. Afterward, she roped Darren into the scheme, giving him explicit instructions to arrive at The Moody Mule Cavern Club. Even though Darren’s eccentricity leads him on some side quests, he eventually makes it to the club, where an assassin hired by Van Patterson ends Stephen’s life. Ultimately, the entire thing has been a ploy for Van Patterson to ensure Stephen’s death.
Was June Lying to Darren? What Does She Want?
Once June feeds her backstory to Darren, she promptly makes an exit. This leaves the Poolman alone in her apartment to examine the onslaught of new information he has discovered. However, he finds an epiphany in an unlikely place after he munches on some of the almonds at the place. Instantly, Darren recognizes the almonds at June’s place as the same almonds he had eaten at Hollandaise’s lobby. Therefore, he realizes the almonds are from the Van Patterson farm, leading him to notice the Van Patterson painting hung on the wall. The painting brandishes June as the future Mrs. Van Patterson.
As a result, Darren rushes to Van Patterson’s mansion, where he walks in on the scene of William preparing to suffocate his wife while June watches from the sidelines. Even though Darren initially gets the wrong idea, still willing to perceive June as innocent, he inevitably discovers Van Patteron’s secret. June is actually William’s mistress, who is vying for the title of wife. For the same reason, she has been aiding him so far with Stephen’s assassination. Likewise, she is now helping him with the murder of his wife so that the two can inherit Mrs. Van Patterson’s lucrative farm and drive off into the sunset together.
All this time, June has simply been using Darren as a pawn in her game, manipulating him into playing his part. Unfortunately for her—and Van Patterson—the FBI has been covertly tracking their operation through Darren all this time. Moreover, the head of the secret investigation turns out to be Wayne. Even though he faked his identity, he assures Darren that the relationships and friendships he made were not. In the end, June and Van Patterson get arrested—and Jack completes his documentary about corruption.
Why Does Darren Turn Down the City Council Job?
After June and Van Patterson’s arrest and the release of Jack’s documentary, which showcases Darren’s contribution to demise, the council recognizes the latter’s efforts. In doing so, they offer him a special post as policy office supervisor and preservator. Nonetheless, Darren only uses this opportunity to highlight Stephen’s memory and turns the job offer down. Instead, he prefers to return to his regular day job as the Pooman. The same showcases a key trait of his character.
Darren has always been reluctant to change. When he’s in a relationship with Susan, his lack of interest in progressing their relationship drives her away. Likewise, despite his interest in bringing social change, his initial reaction to June’s offer to uncover corruption is to turn it down. Even though Darren’s latest adventure has taught him something, he’s a creature of habit. More than that, he’s a Poolman through and through. Therefore, he has no interest in a government job and prefers to continue his social activism through presentations at the City Hall, which has never quite led anywhere productive. Thus, Darren’s story ends where it began: by the poolside.
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