Can a marriage survive a series of calculated, lethal secrets?
In short: In the 2022 psychological thriller Deep Water, an open marriage becomes a deadly game of manipulation. As Vic Van Allen attempts to manage his wife's lovers through increasingly violent means, the line between protection and murder vanishes, leaving a trail of bodies in a Louisiana creek.
Directed by Adrian Lyne, marking his first film since 2002's Unfaithful, Deep Water is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1957 novel. Set in Little Wesley, Louisiana, the story follows Vic Van Allen, a man who retired early after developing combat drone guidance chips, and his wife, Melinda. Their relationship is defined by a precarious arrangement: Melinda openly pursues lovers, while Vic seeks solace in his large snail collection.
The narrative tension escalates as Vic's jealousy drives him to extreme violence. He confesses to a lover, Joel, that he murdered Melinda's previous partner, Martin, with a hammer. Later, after Melinda introduces her piano teacher, Charlie, to the family, Charlie dies by drowning in a pool. The cycle of violence continues when Vic lures Melinda's old boyfriend, Tony, to a rocky gorge and pushes him to his death, subsequently sinking the body in a creek.
While the film achieved significant streaming numbers—with 826,000 U.S. households watching during its first weekend on Hulu—critical reception was polarized. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 35% positive rating from 233 critics, with many noting it lacks the subtlety of Highsmith's original work. However, some critics, like Natalia Keogan of Paste, praised it as a 'sweat-inducing psychological scheme' more akin to Gone Girl than Fifty Shades of Grey.
The film's production was marked by delays, including shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a transition from Fox 2000 Pictures to New Regency. Ultimately, the film moved from a planned wide release to a Hulu-exclusive launch in the United States on March 18, 2022.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Deep Water (2022 film)
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