The Deep Blue Sea

The Deep Blue Sea (2012), directed by Terence Davies, is a slow, atmospheric study of the self-destructive nature of betrayal and selfishness. Rachel Weisz plays Hester, trapped in a loving but passionless marriage to a an older man named William. She meets Freddie, a former RAF pilot who is boisterous and passionate, and she falls in love with him. When William overhears Hester's telephone conversation with Freddie and realizes that she's cheating on him, they separate and he tells her that he'll never give her a divorce. Hester moves in with Freddie and over the course of the next year they live together in a dingy flat in a run-down neighborhood.

The film begins with Hester's suicide attempt, and the rest of the story is told partly through flashbacks which show why she's so unhappy. When Freddie finds out that she attempted suicide he realizes that they'll never make each other happy and is determined to leave. Hester's husband tries to get her to return to the marriage, but she refuses, trying to explain to him what she found lacking in the marriage.

Hester is the toxic center to all the relationships in the film. She's married to an educated, cultured and well-off judge, who's kind and treats her well, but she doesn't find the passion she wants in the marriage. She leaves him for an uneducated, uncultured, and unsuccessful fun-loving guy, and she tries to change him into her husband. One particularly painful scene is when they go to a museum and she's trying to look at abstract paintings and he's making jokes about them. She refuses to laugh at his jokes and he storms off. She's unsufferable and it's hard to empathize with her throughout the film. As the film neared its ending I was caught up in anxiety, worrying that Freddie would succumb to her pleas and stay with her; lucky for him that he does not. The film implies throughout that Hester has to choose between these two men, but in reality, now that she's alone she might have the chance to meet someone that she can be happy with.

The Deep Blue Sea received positive reviews (79%) from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but only 52% positive reviews by audiences. I can see why reviewers would like the film: the acting is good; it's very atmospheric; the soundtrack is also very good. I can also see why audiences were not as happy with the film: it's slow; there's little action; it's frustrating to watch the characters and their bad decisions. Perhaps the audiences were just as impatient with Hester as I was.

Overall, though, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it. It certainly gave my husband and me something to talk about!