Deepwater (2005)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

David S. Marfield

Writers (WGA):

Matthew F. Jones (novel)
David S. Marfield (screenplay)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Beneath the surface, the truth lies...

Plot:

A drifter comes to the town of Deepwater and is seduced into a twisted game of deceit and murder.

Plot Keywords:

Motel | Older Man Younger Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Lucas Black	...	Nat Banyon
Peter Coyote	...	Herman Finch
Mía Maestro	...	Iris
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Pam
Xander Berkeley	...	Gus
Jason Cerbone	...	Sal
Michael Ironside	...	Walnut
Kristen Bell	...	Nurse Laurie
Ben Cardinal	...	Petersen
Dee Snider	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Boncore	...	Joe Littlefeet
Valerie Murphy	...	Stripper
Pete Sepenuk	...	Boxing Announcer

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violent images and some sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Clearwater, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Halcyon Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nat leaves the bar just before stealing the Red Thunderbird, he doesn't have his crutch. Then at the motel the next day, the crutch is somehow behind the seats of the car.

Quirky mystery holds genuine surprise.

This was the only Seattle Film Festival film I went to, and I was pleased to find it better than many mainstream movies I've seen. It was an unnerving mystery that sucked me in and genuinely surprised me.

Peter Coyote's portrayal of a strange motel owner was my favorite part of the film. I've seen Coyote in a lot of movies, and this has got to be the most interesting role I've seen him play yet. You're never sure if you want to love him or fear him, and that ends up working perfectly for the plot.

Deepwater had a lot of creepy, stylish, music-video type moments. The camera work was beautiful, and once you get to the end of the movie, the style of these sequences makes even more sense. I didn't feel like these scenes took away from the dramatic moments which were the core of the movie.

The director answered questions afterwards, and I was surprised to hear him talking about how low the budget was. He described some of what he would have done with a bigger budget, but I found myself wondering if the small budget helped force them to really focus the story. It's too late this year, but after seeing Deepwater I'm going to make sure I see more films at next year's festival.