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The Halls are an ordinary quiet family living comfortably on the shores of Lake Tahoe until 17
year-old Beau (Jonathan Tucker) gets involved in a drunken-driving accident with the much older Darby Reese(Josh Lucas). Sensing more than friendship between the two, his
mother Margaret (Tilda Swinton) confronts Darby, asking him to stay away from her son. Darby agrees but for the price of $5,000, which Margaret relays to her son. That
evening, Darby meets Beau at a nearby quay and confirms his mother's story. The lovers fight and Beau walks angrily away, while the drunken Darby stumbles and falls from a
landing to his death. Margaret discovers the body. Assuming that it is Beau's crime, she quickly conceals the corpse. With her husband, a navy officer, away at sea, Margaret
has to bear alone the brunt of a police investigation and silencing blackmailer Alek Sepra (Goran Visnjic), on top of her many motherly concerns, plus the guilt and near
desperation. For how long can Margaret stand the strain and torture tormenting her mind and heart?
Considered among the year's best thrillers, The Deep End was a hit at the Sundance and Cannes film
festivals, hailing writer-director-producers McGehee and Siegel as true creators of suspense in the tradition of Hitchcock. It is an exceptionally intelligent suspense drama,
devoid of special effects and theatrical gimmicks, yet it makes a most moving experience. Suspense is maintained throughout the film, though some twists and coincidences might
appear as too good to be true. The scenic serenity of Lake Tahoe provides an undeniable contrast to Swinton's raging emotions. Swinton is clearly the pivotal gem in the movie.
Not conventionally beautiful, she displays consistently superb acting as the very down-to-earth, harassed, desperate, loving mother. Visnjic also gives a solid performance of
an unusual specie of a compassionate blackmailer.
Here, we cannot help but admire Margaret, who in her loneliness and isolation, resorts to hand
work, silently attending to her family's needs, and doing only what is best for them, to the point of sparing them from all her secret guilt problems. She is especially gentle
with Beau, briefly broaching the subject of his homosexuality. It is said that maternal love is the fiercest kind of all and this move portrays it at its fiercest. But how far
can a mother go to protect her son? What lies will she tell and what blame will she accept to keep him safe? Is Margaret guilty of covering up for a crime that never was? And,
is the torturous aftermath of her actuations, as it digs her deeper and deeper in the hole she has created, sufficient retribution for her guilt? Because of these disturbing
questions, together with some violence and a strong sex scene, this movie can be best appreciated only by mature audiences.
(Date reviewed: April 19, 2002)
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