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DEEP BLUE SEA (2012)

What You Need To Know:

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a drama set in London around 1950. It stars Rachel Weisz as Hester, the young wife of an older British judge, Sir William. Hester pursues an emotionally destructive love affair with a handsome young pilot named Freddie. The movie opens with Hester’s failed suicide. When Freddie finds out, he becomes extremely angry. Sir William, on the other hand, implores Hester to return to him. In fact, he has remained faithful throughout her affair with Freddie. What will Hester decide?

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is adapted from a play by Terence Rattigan. It gives plenty of room for the lead actors to deliver good performances. The movie comes close to being completely satisfying dramatically. However, Hester bases her final decision on her emotions rather than morality, and Sir William’s faithfulness and love don’t change her mind. Thus, the ending is ultimately tragic and unsatisfying. It promotes a very strong Romantic worldview, where people follow their lustful hearts, not God’s Will. THE DEEP BLUE SEA also contains some explicit sensuality, partial nudity, drunkenness, and light violence. Overall, media-wise viewers will find it unacceptable, disappointing viewing.

Content:

(RoRoRo, Ab, B, C, LL, V, SS, NN, AA, DD, MMM) Mostly mixed Romantic worldview where woman tragically chooses lust, physical attraction, and emotional feelings over marriage and true sacrificial love, anti-biblical behavior as woman chooses lover over husband, and some Christian elements such as priest tells woman to go home to her husband and mild Christian allegory as the husband remains faithful and loving even as his wife runs away with another man, but the husband continues to implore her to come home, plus an older woman tells the adulteress to examine the “pettiness of the physical. . . over spiritual values”; nine obscenities, four profanities; mild violence as woman attempts suicide by turning on the gas in her apartment, but she survives, and the doctor gives her an injection to induce vomiting; sexual content includes depicted adultery, and woman carries on an adulterous affair; rear male nudity and side female nudity with partial rear nudity while adulterous couple embraces; drunkenness depicted and social drinking depicted; cigarette smoking depicted throughout the movie; and, strong miscellaneous immorality includes lying, anger, shame, attempted suicide, and strained relationship with mother-in-law.

More Detail:

THE DEEP BLUE SEA, set in London around 1950, stars Rachel Weisz as Hester, the young wife of an older British judge, Sir William Collyer, played by Simon Russell Beale. Hester pursues an emotionally destructive love affair with a handsome young pilot named Freddie, played by Tom Hiddleston.

The movie opens with Hester closing the window shades of her apartment, penning a letter to her lover, Freddie, and turning on the gas in her apartment in order to commit suicide. As she closes her eyes and breathes in the fumes, she recalls the stifling feeling when she was married to and living with Sir William, a well-to-do judge nearly twice her age, as well as the insufferable relationship with her mother-in-law. Lying there, she remembers being swept off her feet by Freddie, a young, handsome pilot who makes her feel alive, emotionally and sexually. The physical attraction between the two of them is filled with passion and unbridled lust, which she believes is true love.

Ultimately, the landlord breaks into the apartment and rescues Hester before she dies. However, over the next several days, as she physically recovers, her world emotionally crumbles. While she tries to hide her suicide attempt from Freddie, the cracks in their relationship are revealed. He realizes he forgot her birthday, while she realizes he doesn’t value her in any way other than their physical connection. However, she refuses to believe that there is more to love than the physical connection.

[SPOILERS FOLLOW] Eventually, Freddie finds the suicide letter she left him. He storms out, never wanting to see her again.

Through all the ups-and-downs of her torrid and ultimately destructive love affair with Freddie, Sir William is there, steadfast and faithful. He arrives with a gift for Hester on her birthday. Sir William continually offers her comfort and solace when she has nowhere else to turn. He implores her to return home with him because he is willing to both forgive her and to restore their marriage. Tragically, she refuses Sir William’s true love. Instead, she looks at Freddie’s departure as an opportunity for her to set out into the world alone. As she reopens the curtains of her apartment, she looks at the world with a new confidence, a confidence that leaves her, tragically, alone and unchanged.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is really close to being an emotionally satisfying, dramatic journey. Adapted from a stage play, the story gives plenty of room for the lead actors to deliver good performances, which they do. Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston embody all the angst and passion of Hester and Freddie’s affair. Simon Russell Beale, as Sir William, is outstanding. The movie falls short of being emotionally and spiritually satisfying, however, because of the moral tragedy in Hester’s final decision. Even as her lover leaves her alone in a heap on the floor, and her husband stands by ready to restore her as his wife, Hester makes a tragic decision to continue alone.

The movie focuses on Hester’s story, but there’s a Biblical allegory of Sir William’s faithfulness to his wife even amidst her wanderings. This will remind media-wise viewers of God’s steadfast love as His people wander far from Him. While that may not be the intent of the playwright or the production team, as evidenced by their choice in endings, it ultimately makes the movie unfulfilling.

Apart from missing the emotional and spiritual mark, THE DEEP BLUE SEA a very strong, mixed Romantic worldview, some explicit sexuality, brief and partial nudity, some foul language, drunkenness, cigarette smoking, and mild violence. Overall, it’s the immoral ending that finally makes this movie unacceptable viewing, with a Minus Three Acceptability Rating.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.