The Deep End
With her husband Jack perpetually away at work, Margaret Hall raises her children virtually alone. Her teenage son is testing the waters of the adult world, and early one morning she wakes to find the dead body of his gay lover on the beach of their rural lakeside home. What would you do? What is rational and what do you do to protect your child? How far do you go and when do you stop?
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- Cast：
- Tilda Swinton , Goran Visnjic , Jonathan Tucker , Josh Lucas , Peter Donat , Raymond J. Barry , Tamara Hope
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Reviews
Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Admirable film.
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
The premise seems so unlikely that it may raise a few eyebrows, so some early suspension of disbelief is called for. In particular, one has to wonder what state of mind the protagonist must be in, to make some of the decisions she does. But then, "The Deep End" is less about the premise, subsequent events, or plot devices, and more about strength, bonds and love, that are often at their loudest and most poignant when unspoken. This film's message can be found in its quiet spaces, for those who know how to listen. A strong and different type of performance from Tilda Swinton, with perfectly-pitched supporting shows from Goran Visnjic and Jonathan Tucker. Minor characters are fairly two-dimensional, and so hammy that it's verging on camp, but they only serve as vehicles to emphasize traits of the main characters or to convey a certain atmosphere, and this does not overly detract from the message, or from one's enjoyment of the film. Worth a detour.
The Deep End starts off pretty well and the first half of the movie turns out to be very enjoyable, the premise is rather classic but it's effective as is the mise-en-scène and editing which create this strange, enigmatic vibe. Then right after Goran Visnjic is introduced in the equation, the story and its dynamic crumble completely as if the writer had to wrap everything up in 24 hours. The plot then becomes far-fetched and the narration as chaotic as you could get, you finish this pseudo thriller, sometimes grotesque and clearly lacking intensity in it's second half, in freewheel mode on a vulgar, uninteresting, blackmailing mechanics.
A claustrophobic thriller about a woman who will go to any lengths to prevent her son from being implicated in the murder of his abusive lover.This is one of those movies in which a character digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole progressively more difficult to get out of, and it unspools with all the morbid fascination of a ten-car pileup. "The Deep End" was my introduction to the endlessly mesmerizing Tilda Swinton, in my opinion one of the best actresses working today. She received some award attention around the time of this film's release, but remained mostly obscure to the general public until fairly recently.Grade: A
This film is about a mother who would do anything to protect her seventeen year old son from getting into trouble."The Deep End" has a very touching plot. Storytelling may be simple and straightforward, but it delivers Tilda Swinton's struggles and desperation effectively. I can understand why she goes at length to protect her son, as any mother would. Her lonesome struggle is portrayed well, making me feel her pain. The changing relationship and mutual sympathy that develops between her and the blackmailer is also convincingly crafted."The Deep End" deserves to be seen and appreciated.