Deep End, The (2001) - Synopsis

The Deep End (2001) - heading

How far might a good woman, driven to the breaking point by fear and desperation, go in the fight to save her family? Would she cover up a crime? Would she commit one? Would she risk everything, even her life? Would she sacrifice all that she believes in, including her very moral foundation.. would you?

In THE DEEP END - a mesmerizing suspense thriller that captured audiences and accolades at this year's Sundance Film Festival - one ordinary suburban mother is plunged into a chillingly plausible nightmare as she faces these questions with shocking results.

In the comfort of a seemingly ordinary life, Tilda Swinton brings to the fore a sense of isolation as Margaret Hall, a lonely Lake Tahoe housewife whose naval officer husband spends months at sea on an aircraft carrier.

In his absence, Margaret does her best to do right by her family, no matter what. Margaret's routine has always included solving one emergency after another with quick decisions. So when her eldest son Beau'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. For as Margaret attempts to dodge blackmail, the law and even the questions of her family, she herself becomes exposed.

THE DEEP END is the second feature film from directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel, who won critical acclaim for their debut SUTURE (1993). Siegel and McGehee wrote the script based on the novel The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding and the team also serves as producers. Robert H. Nathan is the executive producer. Laura Greenlee is the co-producer. The film stars Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Raymond J. Barry, Josh Lucas and Peter Donat.