The Deep End

There is a decidedly neo-Hitchcockian bent to the tension-packed "The Deep End," a daylight-noir suspense thriller that stars idiosyncratic indie empress Tilda Swinton as a Lake Tahoe soccer mom attempting to cover up the death of her gay son's oily older lover.Margaret Hall (Swinton) finds the man's body near their lakefront boathouse with an anchor buried in his chest and, with her instincts racing faster than her logic, jumps to the conclusion that her confused teenage boy (Jonathan Tucker) was responsible for his demise.She drags the body into a motor boat, chug-chugs across the lake and dumps the corpse in a cove before realizing how her hasty assumption and even hastier reaction could lead to her undoing. The man's car is parked outside their house, and a videotape surfaces of her son in bed with the dead dude -- hand-delivered by a blackmailer demanding $50,000 within 48 hours.There are several parts of the plot that just don't hold water. Why does she row all the way across the deepest lake in North America to dump the body in six feet of crystal clear water? Why does she let the blackmailer into her house when he just shows up on her doorstep and doesn't identify himself? Why doesn't she just ask her son what happened, and upon discovering the truth go to the police?But while it's impossible to avoid second-guessing Margaret's frequently stupid choices, Swinton sells her motherly motivation and sells the fact that, in a panic, she makes mistakes -- big mistakes.Co-writers and directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel (1993's "Suture") adapted the story from Elizabeth Sanxay Holding's novel "The Blank Wall" (adapted once before in 1949 as "The Reckless Moment" with a hetero daughter instead of a gay son), adding many of their own touches including the scenic location and a notable ability to make even a beautifully photographed, bright, clear day in Tahoe exude a foreboding trepidation.The beautiful, slightly reptilian Swinton contributes greatly to tying the viewer's stomach in knots by applying to this everyday mother that trademarked harried intensity she's brought to the eccentric roles that have made her reputation in films, like "Orlando," "Female Perversions" and "Conceiving Ada" and, of course, later great performances in "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Suspiria." When Swinton flits around nervously on the screen, considering how far she's willing to go in this cover-up, the same agitation is viscerally visited upon the audience.McGehee and Siegel twist some emotional chaos into the film's growing tension when the resolve of the handsome blackmailer ("E.R's" Goran Visnjic) begins to fluctuate. Increasingly aware that Margaret is truly unable to meet his demands, he's also beginning to feel compassion (and perhaps something more) for her. But his murderous partner (Raymond Barry) will have none of it and muscles Visnjic to go forward with their plan, conscience or no conscience.If it weren't for the recurring common sense and police investigation loopholes that the filmmakers have annoyingly chosen to ignore (the list appearing earlier in this review is considerably abridged), there would be little to distract from the chilling tingle "The Deep End" emits constantly.

I just love character-driven dramas like this film...at least when they are done well. And this small indie film was very well made. It's actually a bit of a "thriller" and "mystery" as well. But at its core its about the characters. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and can't encourage you enough to see this movie. I caught in on HBO recently and it reminded me I needed to add it to my DVD collection. Surprisingly, the film has two directors, Scott McGehee and David Siegel, which is rare. And its even rarer that the 2 are not brothers, which seems to be the typical co-director types.This was the first film where I was introduced to Tilda Swinton, and it was one of actor Goran Visnjic's first major movie roles, after he joined the ER cast on tv. Both actors are perfectly cast in their roles, and the chemistry between them is wonderful. The way their relationship develops from "enemies" to "friends" is well written and well acted. I don't want to give too much about the plot away since that is where the enjoyment of this movie lies. Swinton plays Margaret, the mother of a family of three kids, with her husband Tom out at sea in the Navy. She has her husband's elderly father at the house with the kids, but she's the captain of this family ship while her husband is away. The eldest son, Beau, played with perfect teen angst by Jonathan Tucker, is discovering his sexuality by fooling around with a gay nightclub owner named Darby, played surprisingly well by Josh Lucas. Unfortunately, Darby accidentally dies while visiting Beau one night at his house...only to be found the next morning on the beach by Margaret. As a mother, Margaret wants to protect her son at all costs, and she assumes Beau is responsible for Darby's death in some way, so she wants to cover it up to protect him. Darby had debts with some "bookies" who know about Darby's affair with Beau and come to collect from Margaret, assuming she will pay to protect her son and her family from a scandal, or Beau going to jail. Goran Visnjic plays Alek, one of the two bookies, who blackmails Margaret. With her husband at sea and in the dark about Beau being gay, Margaret is left to solve this mess on her own.The film was shot on location in Lake Tahoe and Reno, and the incredible deep blue lake is a character of its own within this drama. The photography by Giles Nuttgens is beautiful, with a natural feel that puts you right there in the movie. The soundtrack is perfectly suited to the film and helps build tension and emotion quietly. This movie grows on you as you get to know the characters and their emotions. I've enjoyed the subtlety of viewing this movie 3 or 4 times now and it is in my Top100 movie list. It's not a "flashy" Hollywood film, but that's what I like about it. It's in the vein of another favorite character-driven thriller movie of mine: Dead Calm (1989). It's not nearly as creepy and twisty as Dead Calm, but it has the same elements in a subtler way.The trailer is not as representative of the brilliance of this movie as I think it could be. But that water droplet shot is awesome!

Suspense movie about what a mom will do to protect her family from extortion related to older son being filmed with older man.

Movie starts off interesting, then kind of spirals out-of-control. Some of it (the storyline) is a tad far-fetched but I enjoyed watching it - once.

This is a pretty good thriller. I really liked the main protagonist's performance. The plot has some good twists and turning points. How far will a mother go to protect her son is the main question here. A good concept and a good performance from all round. Enjoyed it.

This film tackles a subject many parents dread facing - having a gay child. Gripping from start to finish. Top-notch acting and a brave effort that could have failed miserably. Sensitively handled and no sleazy scenes. There is just a very brief scene that tells the viewer why the mother determines to protect her son at all costs, and that scene leaves nothing to the imagination - but it is brief and intentionally blurry.

Excellent service and a very good movie

Well written with a strong story line makes compelling watching. The characters were well defined and the narrative flowed.Performances were excellent all round.

Film was as stated would buy again from this seller