The Deep End

Play trailer

The Deep End

R

2001

1h 39m

Drama

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

118 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A well-acted film noir with arresting visuals.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Ben Falk

BBC.com

A rather dull movie, weighed down by its pretensions.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 19, 2001

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

Read all reviews

Lizzie H

Lacks a believable plot.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

Full Review

Arya S

Ridiculous plot hinges on an unbelievable contrivance at the beginning of the film. This is not "super mom," as some are saying, but a "stupid mom," who could have avoided all the ensuing problems and plot with a simple phone call to the police -- the most realistic reaction to her discovery. There is more sympathy for the blackmailer than the mom or her son. You are just screaming for the two to just talk to each other, and it never happens. A very unsatisfying film. (And how convenient to have a boat house to stage all the physical fights! Silly!)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

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

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

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Scott McGehee

Director

David Siegel

Director

Tilda Swinton

Margaret Hall

Goran Visnjic

Alek Spera

Jonathan Tucker

Beau Hall

Peter Donat

Jack Hall

Female Perversions

67%

45%

Female Perversions

Watchlist

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

50%

65%

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Watchlist

Holiday Heart

67%

91%

Holiday Heart

Watchlist

High Art

78%

77%

High Art

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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
Producer: Laura Greenlee, David Siegel, Scott McGehee
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
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now