The Deep End (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Directors:

Scott McGehee
David Siegel

Writers:

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (novel)
Scott McGehee (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 October 2001 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A woman spirals out of control while trying to keep her son from being found culpable in a murder investigation.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Water | Murder Investigation | Evidence Tampering | Lake

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

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
Franco Delgado	...	Barrish Brother
Kip Ellwood	...	Male Nurse
Margot Krindel	...	Amber Lloyd

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:R (original rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:M (TV rating) | New Zealand:R13 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38386) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Lake Tahoe, California, USA

Company:

i5 Films

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Scott McGehee and David Siegel] [as the EMTs from the ambulance that arrive to pick up Jack.]

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Margaret Hall: We don't have the money.
Alek 'Al' Spera: You have to get the money. Is that not clear enough?
Margaret Hall: It's $50,000. It is not the kind of thing that everyone can just go out and get.
Alek 'Al' Spera: Have you spoken with your husband?
Margaret Hall: He can't be reached. He's on a carrier somewhere in the nor - This is truly none of your business.
Alek 'Al' Spera: What about the old man? Well, you have to try harder.
Margaret Hall: "Try harder?"
Alek 'Al' Spera: I don't think you're really trying.
Margaret Hall: Really?
Alek 'Al' Spera: Yes.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of The Reckless Moment (1949)

Soundtrack:

Swan Lake, Op. 20, Finale

Too much control!

Who came up with the summary, "spirals out of control"? Margaret, is, if anything, too much in control! One waits throughout the movie for her control to break. Who put her in charge of her son's destiny? Why is she willing, even at the moment she "speaks the truth" in all but this one respect, to specify HERSELF as the one responsible for her son's lover's death? She'll do anything to help him go on to college as a music major, but she won't be able to shield him always from the consequences of his own bad judgment. And perhaps her horrified expression as she watches the video reflects this realization as much as it does her visceral horror at the activity taking place. He is the one who is "spiraling out of control"--HER control. She is trying, presumably at her husband's behest before he shipped out, to make & keep the world safe for her family. But their domestic tranquility is built on a foundation of corruption--that of nearby Reno & its gambling enterprises & related criminal activities. Perhaps at the end when she breaks down & weeps, she is finally letting go of her "sense of control," along with her innocence, which has been compromised much more deeply than that of her son.