Deep Water Review

Seeking to salvage what remains of his marriage, Vic Van Allen allows his wife, Melinda, to have other partners and affairs. However, the perfect husband and father becomes the main suspect in the disappearance of one of the lovers in question. In this spoiler -free review of Deep Water (2022), we tell you why this thriller full of mystery and drama is being criticized so much.

After premiering on Hulu in the United States, the erotic-psychological thriller starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas arrives on Amazon Prime internationally. Directed by Adrian Lyne and written by Zach Helm with Sam Levinson, this film marks the return of Lynes after a 20-year absence since his last film, Unfaithful (2002).

The full story after the love story

Deep Water is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name. The story centers on Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a couple from a small neighborhood in Little Wesley, Louisiana. The Van Allens seem to live a dream life, they have a brilliant six-year-old girl, a great group of friends, plus Vic retired at a very young age and money has never been an issue.

However, something very peculiar happens with the young couple, something that in the eyes of others seems to be a dynamic to which they are very accustomed. This marriage has been kept together thanks to an agreement in which Melinda can have the lovers she wants without leaving her family, but although Vic is aware of it, it seems that he was never really consulted in this agreement. After the disappearance of one of Melinda's lovers, all eyes are on Vic.

A puzzle with few pieces to put together

Honestly, at the beginning of the film it is very interesting to get involved in the thriller presented, put the pieces of the puzzle together and understand where the main plot of the film is going. It is even enigmatic to understand the complexity of the characters and their relationship. However, to a certain extent it seems that everything we should know we already know, and there is still a good part of the film to develop. As if the hunger to get into this mysterious drama was suddenly met with a stop sign.

Additionally, the performances of some are not always at their best, and here it may rather be caused by the direction of the film itself. Sometimes it is not perceived as a bad performance, but as if it were outside the intention sought by the rest. It should be noted that in this particular comment the wonderful performance of Grace Jenkins, who plays Trixie, the daughter of the Van Allen, is completely excluded.

In addition, the erotic part of this erotic-psychological thriller is what you would expect from any average Hollywood movie: sexual scenes that classify the film as "R-rated", where we only have our protagonist naked in the foreground. There really isn't much eroticism involved, just the exploitation of the nude female image.

Rather, the puzzle with missing pieces

The tape really feels meaningless as the plot progresses. Instead of more and more resources being added with which the story advances, Deep Water gives the feeling that time does not add anything else, on the contrary, it lacks something to keep the audience hooked.

Consequently, the script loses some credibility. Some characters need —a lot— cunning, it seems that everything conspires so that the main conflict does not have so many obstacles. Similarly, the characters get lost a bit, as if their initial motivation and justification had fallen by the wayside. There is also the disappointment of using a deus ex machina to resolve a weighty conflict.

Anyway, the list of failed quirks in the script could be made as long and specific as desired. However, to keep this review of Deep Water spoiler -free , we can say that it really all boils down to the ending not feeling like an ending, it leaves us with a lot of loose ends. What an eye, an open ending is not bad. However, this outcome is meaningless because the meaning is being lost long before. It does not leave us with multiple questions to make us think, but it leaves us with one big question “did I miss something?”.