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

Margaret's shoes disappear and reappear between shots when her son comes into the house and she is helping Jack.

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Quotes

[forcing Margaret to watch a video of Beau and Darby having sex]
Alek 'Al' Spera: Like movies?

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Crazy Credits

Extra Credit Erlin A. Velberg

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Connections

Version of The Reckless Moment (1949)

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Soundtracks

"Swan Lake, Op. 20, Finale"
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of Megatrax Music/Unlimited Classics

User Reviews

A mother will do just about anything to protect her child

Tilda Swinton stars in "The Deep End," a 2001 film also starring Goran Visnjic of 'ER' fame and Peter Donat. It's a modern remake of Max Ofuhls "The Reckless Moment." Swinton plays Margaret Hall, a busy mother in charge of three children and her father-in-law (Donat) while her naval husband is away at sea. Her older son Beau (Jonathan Tucker) is gay, and when the film starts, he has just been in a terrible car accident with his drunken boyfriend Darby (Josh Lucas). Margaret goes to see him at a nightclub, The Deep End, and asks him to stay away from her son. Though we don't see the scene, she offers him $5,000 to do so. That night, he comes to see Beau, and a fight occurs. After Beau goes back to his house, Darby falls off the peer, impaling himself on an anchor. Margaret finds the body the next day and gets rid of it in the ocean and drives his car to another location. But someone knows that Darby was there, and Margaret is visited by a blackmailer, Goran Visnjic, who represents himself and his partner, and he wants $50,000, or he will give a video of Beau having sex with Darby to the police.

This is a story about unfinished thoughts, about a woman who does what she feels she has to without thinking it through. "If you're having feelings -" she says to her son, "My husband wouldn't understand -" she says to Visnjic about Beau, but never completes the sentence. She lives in a world where sometimes, it's easier not to know - or there's no time to really figure it out - and just cut to the situation.

Someone on this board said this is a film that can be appreciated on many levels, and that's true. The level I'll offer is that the Swinton character is forced by circumstances to live in the moment and just take care of things as they come up - be it blackmail, her father-in-law collapsing, finding a dead body. She's the master of split-second decisions. When Visnjic orders her to "try harder" to get the $50,000, she admits that "yes, maybe I'm not trying hard enough. Maybe you can tell me how I can try harder between driving to ballet and soccer practice, trying to reach my husband..." He eventually sees what her life is, and, as the crux of the film, the two form an important bond.

Tilda Swinton gives a brilliant performance, an underplayed one, of a woman who internally is on the verge of a nervous breakdown but externally holds it together for her family. When she goes to her father-in-law for money - $50,000 - as usual, she doesn't finish the whole thought, and he gives her $80 from his wallet. She only smiles and thanks him. When she finally breaks down, for the last reason one can imagine from the beginning of the film, she finds support from an unlikely person - who also has to keep it together amidst personal turmoil.

One more thing - someone else on this board commented that there were many negative comments on this film from people looking at it from a technical point of view. That is the reaction I had from reading comments on "The Reader." There is an emotional aspect to film. Some of us would rather get into the characters more than the lighting. I guess you'd say it's just another level of appreciation.