The Deep End

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected Relationships perk up this film Noir
Review: Don't believe the negative reviews-they were written by shallow consumer-minded individuals.
If the movie is slow, its intentional. What kind of life does a soccer Mom have anyway-a scheduled and rigid drudge. The fact that this woman can multitask on that level, keep her head on straight and think far into the future is the amazing facet of this film. Sure, she should be responsible and call the cops but that would "out" her talented son, perhaps ruin his relationship with his military father and have their family the talk of Tahoe.
Its a film about people on a higher level who occasionally come down and get "dirty" with marginal elements of society.
Its also about how the equilibrium of morality. A soccer Mom hides evidence and calmly disposes of a dead body. A musically talented, IVy league bound teenager has a gross realtionship with a predatory bar owner. A "low-life" collector rises up when confronted with the woman's dilemma and the power of the family. They go down, he rises up. They all meet on the morality plane somewhere near each other in the end.
This is more of an ethics dilemma than a film noir, which is why it;s the eyeopener it is. Look for Tilda Swinton's imploding emotions to finally get the best of her.

Rating:
Summary: Swinton's performance is deeply insightful
Review: Despite the glowing accolades The Deep End garners as the darling of the Sundance Festival 2001, the unembellished movie cannot acquit itself from its incoherent and illogical slips at times. Yet what has mesmerized critics including Roger & Ebert is probably the dynamic performance of Tilda Swinton who clinches the psychological thriller part with her moral dilemmas and parental obligations conflicting with her anxiety for her closeted gay son. Even my cine-illiterate mother agrees that the movie is more of an exploration of mother-son relationship which is at times touching and poignant. The movie requires patience - which many of the commerical thriller fanatics have little of - and the impact of the vicarious fear comes only after the movie when you relive the horror of making one wrong turn leading to another. ER Veteran Goran Visjinic gives a memorable performance as an sympathetic money-extorting thug along with Josh Lucas as the murdered lover. It isn't every one's cup of tea but it is an interesting essay on the mother-son complex; how the son ends up comforting the mother with a protective streak. Swinton deserves every accolade she is getting with her subtle performance that provides the emotional gravitas that resonate deeper than the artful contrivance in the story.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping account of motherly love
Review: This movie stroke me so real, in spite of the incredible events depicted, which start happening sort-of out of control, like in a "weird" chain reaction. Nonetheless, it's a realistic filmed story, set against the beautiful and very "normal" Lake Tahoe surroundings.

The picture's credibility and punch rests in the shoulders of outstanding actress Tilda Swinton, whose tour-de-force performance is the main reason of the movie's successful results. She plays an upper-middle class devoted mother who will do anything for her children's happiness, in this case her eldest son's. Her acting is so rich, subtle and restrained, showing the audience a "real" human being, with all the weaknesses, doubts and frailties, inherent to everyone of us.

This is a picture that deserves serious viewing, that is simply told, devoid of all the artificiality which usually surround this type of stories made-in-Hollywood. There are no easy final resolutions, or not-to-be-believed dialogue that seem taken out of a Shakespearean tragedy, this is a true-to-life believable drama.

Rating:
Summary: If she just would've called the police...
Review: ...but then, of course, there would have been no movie (If you can call it that). Overrated, boring and just plain stupid. Maybe you have to be a (stupid) woman to enjoy this film. Somebody please tell me what was so great about Tilda Swinton's near expressionless performance. Oh, I'm sorry. It's "understated". Is that it? And what kind of message does this film send when mothers commit felonies to cover up for their grown children who should take responsibility for their own screw-ups? (In this case, literally.) The absolute worst part is the cliche "heart of gold" blackmailer who saves Swinton and her son from their own stupidity. The more I think about this film, the more [upset] I get. The only people I know who LOVE this film are [...] who are still lusting after Tilda Swinton from her "Orlando" role. (Another huge bore.) This film has nothing to say - leave it be.

Rating:
Summary: This Emperor has no clothes, folks
Review: Don't be misled by some good reviews--this movie stinks.
I like indie movies. I don't mind slow movies. Love suspense. I had great hopes for this.

Boy, were those dashed.

This film is about as illogical as they come. The central conceit is fundamentally hollow, there's one contrivance after another, and the filmmakers are much more interested in coincidence than suspense. Add in a juvenile fixation with water and insipid dialogue, and you've got a ruined Saturday night.

And to those of you who've seen it, what the hell was that white flash before the credits? It was played as important , but was never explained or justified whatsoever.

If you want to see an incredibly tight, twisty, suspenseful film with tangible sexual tension, rent BOUND instead.

Rating:
Summary: maternal love and fateful choices
Review: "The Deep End", set at beautiful and highly photogenic Lake Tahoe, will absorb your interest. (As area residents, we must add that we had trouble orienting ourselves and some of the directions seemed reversed in the film.) This story of a mother's tender,protective love for her son and for all of her family, when faced with evil from without, is a tale with which every mother can identify. Yet Tilda Swanson's character, Margaret, seems to make a series of wrong choices without thinking through the repercussions. The moral ambiguity in "The Deep End" is troubling, and for this reason, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. The film resembles "In the Bedroom" in the that sense.

Rating:
Summary: A Little-Known Gem
Review: Usually, when you hear constant positive buzz about a film, it tends to let you down. I felt that way about "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The English Patient". So when I kept reading glowing reviews of "The Deep End", I was hesitant to fall for them. I expected it to be another disappointment.

I was wrong.

Ably directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, "The Deep End" is a lovely, atmospheric, domestic drama about the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her son. When Margaret Hall (Tilda Swinton, in a fine performance) finds the body of her teenage son's lover on the beach by her home, she reacts by dumping the body in the lake, and not telling anyone about it. Soon, a dark, brooding man named Alek Spera (Goran Visnjic) appears, demanding money in exchange for a tape showing Margaret's son and the dead man.

From there, "The Deep End" takes many twists and turns (some believable, some a bit contrived). Yet, it is essentially a simple tale, about the love between a mother and a son. Tilda Swinton deserved an Oscar nomination for her haunting portrayal of a desperate mother. Everything about "The Deep End" is wonderful, from the cinematography (Lake Tahoe has never looked so beautiful), to the music and performances. This is one of those films that are little-known, but worth digging up. It is rewarding to experience.

Rating:
Summary: Wow - What an awful movie.
Review: I honestly couldn;t believe how bad this movie was. Based entirely on bad coincidences. My favorite was when the grandfather has a heart attack exactly when the blackmail guy walks in . . . he of course saves the day. Naturally, she falls in love with him. What's a girl to do . . . I know I love a guy who threatens my family and extorts money from me.

Rating:
Summary: Not always exciting, but emotionally strong
Review: Tilda Swinton received much-deserved critical accolades for her quietly desperate performance of a woman trying to protect her gay son. It isn't nearly as thrilling as some critics seem to suggest; in fact, it drags at times. Still, it is an unusual and intelligent movie.

The film itself actually relies much less on its action sequences than on the performances of its actors, most of which are good, but all of which pail in comparison to Swinton's work as Margaret. Though she makes absurd and dangerous decisions, her love for her son makes those decisions believable, even when she tries to protect him from murder charges by involving herself with criminals. Some gay viewers will flinch at the depiction of shady characters in a gay bar, but we all know that you can find shady characters anywhere.

(Duane Simolke's books include The Acorn Stories, Degranon, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio.)

Rating:
Summary: Off The Deep End
Review: The Deep End, which promises to be a breathless Hitchcockian thriller, is mildly disappointing yet slightly unsettling. It is good and tense, has a few big shocks, and is over. Tilda Swinton, that visceral, ruddy-cheeked British actress from Orlando and The War Zone, gives a commendable performance as a soccer mom from Lake Tahoe caught in a mess of murder and blackmail. It's a meaty, complicated role, and she pulls it off nicely; she carries the entire film and manages to pull it off even when the plot gets a little slow. Rich with aquatic imagery throughout, filmed in cool blues and greens, it may not be a masterpiece, but it is fascinating if only because it deals with an ordinary woman plopped in the middle of a crime, willing to go to any lengths to protect her children.