The Deep End (2001)

A woman spirals out of control while trying to keep her son from being found culpable in a murder investigation.

Directors:

Scott McGehee, David Siegel

Writers:

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (novel), Scott McGehee,

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tilda Swinton	...	Margaret Hall
Goran Visnjic	...	Alek 'Al' Spera
Jonathan Tucker	...	Beau Hall
Peter Donat	...	Jack Hall
Josh Lucas	...	Darby Reese
Raymond J. Barry	...	Carlie Nagel (as Raymond Barry)
Tamara Hope	...	Paige Hall
Jordon Dorrance	...	Dylan Hall
Heather Mathieson	...	Sue Lloyd
Holmes Osborne	...	Loan Officer
Richard Gross	...	Deputy Sheriff
Kip Martin	...	BYD
Frankie Loyal Delgado	...	Barrish Brother (as Franco Delgado)
Kip Ellwood	...	Male Nurse
Margot Krindel	...	Amber Lloyd

Storyline

With her husband perpetually away at work, a mother 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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Plot Keywords:

lover | investigation | gay | murder | water | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and language, and for a strong sex scene

Details

Official Sites:

i5 Films Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2001 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Bleu profond

Filming Locations:

Lake Tahoe, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£68,988 (UK) (14 December 2001)

Gross:

£177,380 (UK) (28 December 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

i5 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Margaret's date of birth is November 5, 1960. That's also Tilda Swinton's date of birth.

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Goofs

Alek is suspended upside down after the car crash, but the blood is shown to have run up his face, from forehead to chin.

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Quotes

Darby Reese: Beau-Beau, she's a mother, not a moron.

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Crazy Credits

Extra Credit Erlin A. Velberg

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Connections

Featured in Anatomy of a Scene: The Deep End (2001)

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Soundtracks

"En Forme de Habanera"
Written by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Nelson Padgette (piano) and Ronnie Buttacavoli (trumpet)

User Reviews

A melodrama that worked for me

It appears that either this movie works for you or doesn't. It worked for me for several reasons, not the least being the great performance by Tilda Swinton as Margaret, an upper-middle-class mother with an obsessive desire to protect her son. Swinton projects the image of a woman who can handle any situation; blackmail, the revelation of her son's sexual orientation, the notion that her son may be a murderer, taking care of her aging father-in-law, and running the family are all in a day's work. I was drawn into the story by the beautiful photography, the captivating music, and the plot twists. For whatever reason I did not dwell on plot holes but simply allowed myself to be absorbed. And, if you accept Margaret's almost pathologically obsessive devotion to her family, then most of what happens hangs together.

I found the unexpected relationship that develops between Margaret and the blackmailer to be interesting. The experience is more transformative for him than for her. I also like the way the tables were turned on the relationship between Margaret and her spoiled son. In the beginning his behavior was confusing to Margaret and he was not willing to talk about it and in the end Margaret's behavior was mysterious to her son and she was not willing to talk about it.

It was only the contrived ending that bothered me.