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Seems like every week a really good small indie film opens up
which is much better than most of the current mainstream Hollywood
films-- "The Deep End" is no exception. In order
to not give away too much of the plot (this movie needs to be seen
with as little knowledge as possible beforehand), I will just give
the basic gist of the film. The film begins where a mother
of three children is trying to keep her family together amid
brewing domestic problems. Her husband is away at sea in the
Navy and her oldest son is discovering his newly self-aware gay
sexual orientation. She tries to stop this son from seeing
an older man and in the process becomes involved in murder,
blackmail, and a police investigation.
"The Deep End" is an exceptionally involving and
intelligent thriller, and unlike many of more commercially-driven
movies in the genre, it does not rely overmuch on narrative twists
and turns. The complexity lies more in the characters than
in the plot. With each scene, the writers and directors
tighten the screws, heightening suspense without benefit of such
cheap theatrics as gunfights or chases.
"The Deep End" is consistently suspenseful and the
tension builds more and more as the film goes along, to the final
conclusion. There is also some great acting here.
Foremost is the mother played by Tilda Swinton. She has to
be an early Oscar contender for best actress. The emotion
and fear that she displays while trying to protect her family
helps generate the dramatic feel of this film, and she is
magnificent in it. Also, the acting by the guy who plays her
oldest son and one of the bad guys (Goran Visnnik) is also very
good.
This
film is just not one of the year's best thrillers but could easily
be one the best 10 movies of the year. If you like
thoughtful, intelligent thrillers, I highly recommend seeing this
movie.
-- Mike (
4 out of 4 pops )
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