The premise seems so unlikely that it may raise a few eyebrows, so some early suspension of disbelief is called for. In particular, one has to wonder what state of mind the protagonist must be in, to make some of the decisions she does. But then, "The Deep End" is less about the premise, subsequent events, or plot devices, and more about strength, bonds and love, that are often at their loudest and most poignant when unspoken. This film's message can be found in its quiet spaces, for those who know how to listen. A strong and different type of performance from Tilda Swinton, with perfectly-pitched supporting shows from Goran Visnjic and Jonathan Tucker. Minor characters are fairly two-dimensional, and so hammy that it's verging on camp, but they only serve as vehicles to emphasize traits of the main characters or to convey a certain atmosphere, and this does not overly detract from the message, or from one's enjoyment of the film. Worth a detour.

The Deep End is directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, both of whom also adapting the screenplay from the novel The Blank Wall written by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding. It stars Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Raymond Barry and Josh Lucas. Music is by Peter Nashel and cinematography by Giles Nuttgens.An updated take on Holding's source novel (it had been adapted by Max Ophüls as The Reckless Moment in 1949), The Deep End explores how one reckless decision in life can let the equilibrium of normalcy be invaded by dark forces and deep seated desires. Here we have the magnificent Swinton as Margaret Hall, a mother of three who finds her life spiralling out of control when she tries to keep her eldest son from being found culpable in a murder investigation. With the husband and father constantly away from their beautiful Lake Tahoe home, due to his being in the Armed Forces, Margaret is practically alone and afraid but still fiercely protective, but when blackmail walks in to her world in the shape of handsome Alek 'Al' Spera (Visnjic), there's can open, worms everywhere.What unfolds is a tale full of classic noir staples, yet it's no cliché addled picture. McGehee and Siegel paint a pristine portrait of middle class life, but once tainted by noir it's very unlikely the protagonist will get back to that pristine world. The relationship between Margaret and Al becomes fascinating, their respective impact on each other is the beating heart of The Deep End. It all builds to a finale that has caused some division amongst the people who have seen it, but it strikes the right chords and dangles the right questions in context to the human characteristics that have been played out. Personally I would suggest further viewings are required to really get the most from this piece.Beautifully photographed and scored, there is very little wrong here. Raymond Barry's "head" villain is a little weak, and some of the dialogue is a bit clunky, but really these are small irritants. The Deep End uses no tricks or over theatrics to grab our attention, it asks us to invest and pay attention in the principal players, because then, as the suspense and human psychological smarts come into play, is where the rewards are to be found. 8/10

Tilda Swinton's son, Jonathon Tucker, is a homosexual trumpet player about to enter college on a scholarship, but she knows nothing about his sexual proclivities. (I think; I missed the first few minutes.) Swinton's husband is a naval officer on an extended trip overseas. The family home is a comfortable dwelling on the shore of Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side.A man approaches her, informs her of Tucker's sexual activities, and threatens to expose him unless she hands over fifty thousand dollars. Shove comes to push, the extortionist falls off the dock, lands on the upright flukes of an anchor, and is killed.The hysterical Swinton dumps his body in the lake, where it's promptly found by an unlucky fisherman. Swinton is then visited by still another blackmailer, a handsome young man, not unsympathetic. But the big boss behind the scam is pitiless and wants the whole boodle, which Swinton is unable to raise, due to the absence of her husband.Thereafter it gets twisted. The evil die, while the good flourish as the green bay tree.It would have been a good black-and-white B movie from Warners in the 1930s or 1940s -- blackmail scheme goes awry. What lifts it out of that particular genre are two things.The presence and the performance of Tilda Swinton, which is really quite good. Her features are idiosyncratic. Her rather ordinary face features these startlingly blue eyes topped by brows so pale that they make La Giocanda look like Salma Hayek. They're both piercing and terrified. And she's a fine actress, judging from this film, despite her being barely handsome enough to serve as romantic lead without a big do-over.The second thing is the location shooting at Lake Tahoe. It's immediately identifiable for where it is. Those granite rocks of the Sierra Nevada are unmistakable. But, with a little suspension of belief, it could be a fairy-tale Switzerland. But don't even think of living in Lake Tahoe. You couldn't afford a pup tent.It's worth seeing -- at least once.

Tilda Swinton! What a gal! This harrowing and brilliantly filmed tale is a complete tour de force from beginning to end. Why is it that these modest independent films are always ignored for American awards? Swinton's performance is really Oscar material, and so are the writing and direction by the pair Scott McGehee (spelling that surname requires some practice!) and David Siegel. The film is based on a novel by Elizabeth Holding, and whoever chose that as the basis for a movie was very clever. The young Croatian actor Voran Visnjic (pronouncing that is even harder than spelling McGehee, but is apparently 'vish-nyich') was a brilliant choice for the other lead role in this film. The third role is Swinton's gay son, played sensitively and just right by Jonathan Tucker. Rarely has female multi-tasking been better portrayed than in this film, as Swinton carries out a multitude of household chores simultaneously with phone conversations, ironing separate piles of clothes and delivering them to their respective rooms, giving instructions to her children, negotiating her way out of blackmail which threatens to ruin her family, raising money while her husband is away on a battleship in the North Atlantic (he is an absent naval captain), plotting how to save her son from a murder rap, looking after her resident father-in-law, saving him from a heart attack, emptying the garbage, and much else besides. Swinton manages to make herself as unglamourous as possible, in order to simulate a 'normal American wife'. Of course there is no denying that she is one the strangest looking people on earth, a kind of alien in our midst. In certain shots, with the sunlight at a particular angle, the eerie green of her eyes shimmers like something from a sci fi film. Her very weirdness compels our attention, as we see this bizarre creature that she is enacting human roles, as if she were not really from outer space after all, but were 'one of us'. (I say 'us' for all those who really are from this planet.) Her genius is not just acting talent, it is the capacity to cast a spell. So you see, she really is another species, because she bewitches the viewer with some kind of extra-terrestrial magic, so that you become so absorbed you forget where you are. You could almost believe it is a Martian movie and you are on Mars watching it. That would fit. But then 'bang!' you are back to Reno, Nevada, which is all too earthly! There are lots of shots of the beautiful Lake Tahoe, beside which Swinton lives. And into her life comes the young blackmailer from a world of vice played by 'vish-nyich'. He is incredibly sensitive in delineating a 'lost' young man who slowly gains some humanity and reforms his character right before our eyes, a truly magical instance of character transformation, and frankly one of the most extreme examples of 'screen character development' in a mere 96 minutes ever filmed. The fact that 'vish-nyich' makes this convincing is a tribute to his profound acting skills. He has that handsome weak face that reminds one of the young Alain Delon. His thin cheeks even wobble in the same way at moments of stress. He conveys without any dialogue to support it at all his entire life history, how he never had a family, never knew a loving and attentive mother, always had a hard time and decided to become hard in turn, and proves how shallow the roots of all this ruthlessness really are within him. This film is truly a profound one, a masterpiece of film-making by all concerned, and it is a tense nail-biting thriller which has you on the edge of your Martian couch.