The Deep Blue Sea (2012)

Film: The Deep Blue Sea (2012)
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, Simon Russell Beale, Ann Mitchell
Director: Terence Davies
Oscar History: None, though Weisz scored a Golden Globe nomination
Snap Judgment Ranking: 5/5 stars

I have never seen one of the cerebral, hyper-intelligent films of Terence Davies, and was terribly bummed when I missed this film in theaters, and so am glad that Netflix decided it was time for me to see the movie.  As I am not previously acquainted with Davies' films, I didn't 100% know what to expect, and have to admit that I was deeply excited by the beautiful, etched emotional struggles of this movie, and the astounding work that's on display amongst the actors, in particular Rachel Weisz.

(Spoilers ahead) The film tells the tale of Hester Collyer (Weisz), a woman who opens the film with a suicide attempt which she survives, and the film then tells the tale of what happens that fateful day and what has happened to lead to that moment.  What has led to that moment is a marriage not necessarily without love (for her husband loves her even if she doesn't feel the same way), but without passion.  Hester has been raised to be a "proper wife" and has married a well-known judge (Beale), who has a domineering mother that is constantly dressing down both her son, and in particular, his younger bride.  Hester, despite the radical nature of this idea in 1950, when this story takes place, falls in love with a younger man named Freddie (Hiddleston) and stunningly decides to leave her husband and her life of comfort and stability to go with Freddie.  For the first time in her very proper, very staid life, she has found a burning, oftentimes reckless love, and a passion that excites her in a way nothing else has done before, and so she clings to it, even when it makes her do rash and dangerous things, and when she knows that he is not a proper match for her.

The film's beauty lies not just in this burning passion underneath, something the English do so well (think of The English Patient or The End of the Affair), but also in the fantastic overall structure of the film.  The movie floats as listlessly through the lives of these three people as they do the streets of a war-ravaged London.  The entire city still shows the scars of the war, and in an odd way seem to long for it-that sense of purpose and community that the war brought to them is gone, and now they are left in a land of ration books and slums.  Hiddleston's Freddie is largely lost without the war-an ace pilot, he is constantly recalling his role in the war, that sense of bravery and excellence he once hit, and seemingly cannot step out of the shadow of to rejoin modern society.  The film is also constantly recalling the music of the era and eras gone by, and in a spectacular sequence, we see a flashback to the war, where one man sings "Molly Malone," and people of all walks of life (the wealthy and the poor) sing along to the chorus.  Music always has the ability to make an impact in a film that other instruments cannot, but this is a scene that really has to be experienced to be believed-it's spectacularly moving and it sort of washes over you in a deep, melancholy wave of emotion.

The film lacks a central villain, which makes it far more interesting.  Neither Hester's husband nor her lover is a bad man, a man who has driven her to the other, but neither is a perfect man either, and so it seems understandable that Hester wants to explore this aspect of life, that uninhibitedness that she knows very little about and has never fathomed.  The film also doesn't stand in judgment of any of its characters, a huge plus for a love story (as it makes it more difficult to predict the ending), but it doesn't let them become saints or martyrs.  Freddie, exceedingly handsome and charming, is also not the intellectual or mature equal of Hester, and she loves him in spite of this.  Hester, despite having an affair, is not a character you loathe, nor a character you especially pity.  She is just a woman going with what her heart tells her because that's the only compass she believes in any longer.

The performances, as I mentioned, are top drawer.  Beale makes his judge a man of weakness given every advantage, but he is a man who knows that he wants Hester in his life, even if after a third of the film he banishes her from it (he does return, begging for her to come back to him, later in the film, but never apologizes for the lack of passion in their marriage).  Tom Hiddleston, who is part of that new wave of posh, scrawny/sexy actors that also includes Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne (Hiddleston is the best of the bunch, thus far), plays Freddie as a man trapped, who has obviously fallen in love with this woman, though not as much as she has fallen in love with him, as his first and strongest love is the war that he fought in and is trying desperately to reclaim.  Hiddleston does an excellent job of playing the character's more comic bits, making sure to exhibit the quick charm that made Hester fall in love with him, as well as the juvenile attributes (he knows little of art and literature, and is constantly losing his temper) that make him certainly unsuitable for her in the long-term.

At the film's heart, though, is Weisz, playing Hester by somehow balancing her proper upbringing with her new life's mission to follow her id, rather than what she knows society expects from her.  Weisz (and the director/writer) do this well by having Hester oftentimes speak second, not knowing what is expected from her in a situation, and not wanting to cross Freddie or make him upset, but also wanting him to notice her.  She has that complex of someone at a party, hoping and praying that someone will notice her, similar to Mary in Another Year, our previous review.  Unlike Mary, though, Hester won't accept being ignored, and will eventually venture into the conversation if no one invites her, once she's gained her bearings on what to say.  All of these instincts, her facial cues and final breakdown once she's realized that she's lost Freddie, are mesmerizing work from Weisz, an actress who started out in rather B-Grade fare like The Mummy and instead of following up her surprise Oscar-win with lots of plays for supporting roles in big-budget films (trying to cash in on her newfound notoriety by making an easy buck), she's gone the way of obscure art films and being the muse to random acclaimed directors.  She is an actress that gets little press as a result of this, and that seems a shame, as she's truly a marvel to behold onscreen when given the opportunity, and I love when an actress who could easily be so conventional decides to take artistic risks with her script choices.  That instinct suits her well here, as this performance ranks amongst her best.

And now, I'll give you some questions for thoughts-first off, what did you think of The Deep Blue Sea?    Were you satisfied with the film (and the ending), or were you expecting a more structured narrative or a more linear film?  And what are your thoughts on Rachel Weisz, a well-known actress who rarely gets her due from the critics or press?