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 (as Scott Mcgehee), David Siegel

Writers:

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (novel), Scott McGehee (as Scott Mcgehee)

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tilda Swinton	...	Margaret Hall
Goran Visnjic	...	Alek 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	...	BVD
Frankie Loyal	...	Barrish Brother (as Franco Delgado)
Kip Ellwood	...	Male Nurse
Margot Krindel	...	Jackie

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:

gay teenager | gay | dead body | murder investigation | death of lover | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Set and predominantly filmed at Lake Tahoe.

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Goofs

After Margeret retrieves Darby's car keys from his body, which has been underwater, she goes back and "beeps" the car to open it. The electronic keys would no longer be working after being underwater.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Jack Livesey Jack Livesey

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Connections

Referenced in Micmacs (2009)

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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 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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Deep End

Filming Locations:

Tahoma, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$141,852, 12 August 2001

Gross USA:

$8,823,109

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,031,529

Company Credits

Production Co:

i5 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1