The Deep End

R

Released Aug 1, 2001

1 hr. 39 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

82%

118 Reviews

Tomatometer

59%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a woman's (Tilda Swinton) eldest son's lover washes up on the beachfront in front of their house, she does the only thing an unflinchingly devoted mother could: she hides the body to protect her son. Now unexpectedly, in the aftermath of this desperate act, emerges Alek Spera (Goran Visnjic), who knows about the death and the secret life of her son. But what begins as a riveting cat-and-mouse game soon turns into a haunting love story with self-sacrifice at its center.

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Critics Consensus

A well-acted film noir with arresting visuals.

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Audience Member

Why would this show be made first of all and second be bought by Hulu. Why are you giving this psychopath, narcissistic, lunatic even a bigger platform.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

jenn b

It's ok. Nothing to write home about.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film got off to a good start but quickly fell off the DEEP END!! Superbly talented and underrated as I believe Tilda Swinton IS, I think this script was terribly written for her. This movie just seemed to get worse and worse as it progressed from the endless cliches to the ever predictable plot. A whole lot of talent gone to waste drowned in a deep sea of bad writing, directing and mediocre performances!!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

robert p

Leave it to Tilda to make a good movie, she livens up everything she's in. This movie has strong overtones as her son is gay and having an affair, with a man, her son accidentally killed. I give this indie film a *4* star rating!!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

jordan m

This hewed pretty close to the '49 version of the same story, but the minor changes they made were good ones. I think the story made more sense here in that they make it so if she doesn't comply with the blackmail then the kid might actually be implicated in the murder instead of it just being about their affair being discovered, the relationship being same-sex added a layer of complexity and Tilda is a more compelling actress than Joan Bennett ever was. The book this & Reckless Moment were based on is just not the most suspenseful movie material out there; I think I'd have liked it more if this same cast & crew adapted some other novel instead.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wonderful movie with another brilliant turn by Swinton. The only issue is the big plot hole of....(spoiler alert) with all of very very deep Lake Tahoe to dump the body....why does she choose a relatively shallow spot near shore? OH! because she is going to discover she needs his car keys later. If she dropped him in the middle of the lake where anyone would have... she’d not be able to swim down to retrieve them later.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/01/21

Full Review

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Scott McGehee

Director

David Siegel

Director

Tilda Swinton

Margaret Hall

Goran Visnjic

Alek Spera

Jonathan Tucker

Beau Hall

Peter Donat

Jack Hall

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Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Ella Taylor

L.A. Weekly

Swinton ... is for once deglamorized into an ordinary woman enlarged by extraordinary circumstances, and the role animates her wonderfully.

Nov 18, 2002

Full Review

Mark Caro

Chicago Tribune

For the most part ... the filmmakers and performers invest a high level of intelligence and sympathy into The Deep End.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 18, 2002

Full Review

Erik Anderson

AwardsWatch

One of the great things about films like this is that it understands the circumstances it puts its unlikely heroine in are outlandish and yet rooted in deep truth and realistic actions by its characters.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 7, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

The Deep End is an unconventional thriller with unconventional characters, unconventional actors and an unconventional pace. That serves the movie quite well.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 20, 2014

Full Review

Don Groves

sbs.com.au

Woman-in-jeopardy thriller with a double twist.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 13, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

When a woman's (Tilda Swinton) eldest son's lover washes up on the beachfront in front of their house, she does the only thing an unflinchingly devoted mother could: she hides the body to protect her son. Now unexpectedly, in the aftermath of this desperate act, emerges Alek Spera (Goran Visnjic), who knows about the death and the secret life of her son. But what begins as a riveting cat-and-mouse game soon turns into a haunting love story with self-sacrifice at its center.

Director: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Executive Producer: Robert H. Nathan
Screenwriter: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: i5 Films
Rating: R (Some Violence|Language|Strong Sex Scene)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.8M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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