Review of The Deep Blue Sea (1994) by Lee M — 01 Oct 2012

Visually scrumptious and deeply dramatic, "The Deep Blue Sea" is one of the best movies of 2012. Evoking the feel of a 1950's melodrama (the film itself, is actually based on one), it's simply one of those "torn between two-loves" kinds of stories, and though we've seen it all before, there's something about "The Deep Blue Sea" that stands out.

It's post-war England, and the 40-ish wife Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz) of an aging, wealthy judge (Simon Russell Beale), is feeling torn on whether or not she should stay in a comfortable marriage with her supportive husband, or continue on with the affair she's having with a younger RAF pilot (Tom Hiddleston).

But after attempting suicide over her guilt, it seems that neither of the men want to be with her. Terence Davies directs the film beautifully. It's slow-moving like a play, but after quite a build up, we're lead to a climax that is so sublime in every way that it shows that only a director like him, who has done so many "classy" films, can pull off the vintage feel this film needs.

"The Deep Blue Sea" Rachel Weisz gives one of her all-time best performances here, and certainly is deserving on an Oscar-nomination this year (sadly she probably won't get one-- this is a somehow overlooked film).

Weisz plays Hester with sensitivity and vulnerability, and though there's many times in the screenplay that call for something most actresses would play too over-the-top, Weisz finds the humanity in her character and instead makes her highly sympathetic, despite her bad decisions.

Hiddleston and Beale are both terrific as well-- but they can't outshine the utterly flawless Weisz. "The Deep Blue Sea" is simplistic in its story, but in the end reveals something so layered that it much more satisfying than most dramas out there.