Deep Water

#DeepWater is a 2022 erotic psychological #thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne, from a screenplay by Zach Helm and Sam Levinson, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. The film stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, with Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, Dash Mihok, Finn Wittrock, Kristen Connolly, and Jacob Elordi appearing in supporting roles.

It marks Lyne's return to filmmaking after a 20-year absence since his last film, Unfaithful (2002).


Story:

Vic and Melinda Van Allen are a couple with a daughter, Trixie, living in the small town of Little Wesley, Louisiana. Vic is a retired robotics engineer, having amassed a great fortune developing the guidance chips used in combat drones. Their loveless marriage is held together only by a precarious arrangement whereby, in order to avoid the messiness of divorce, Melinda is allowed to take any number of lovers as long as she does not desert her family. Even then, their open marriage is made no secret amongst their friends, while Vic silently grows increasingly jealous of Melinda's lovers.

Melinda invites one of her lovers, musician Joel Dash, to a party. While alone with Joel, Vic tells him that he murdered her previous boyfriend, Martin McRae, who had disappeared a month earlier. The story floats around their social group, causing Joel to move away and raising the suspicions of Don Wilson, a writer who, along with his wife and daughter, is new to the town. It is later revealed on the TV news that Martin was found shot to death, thus proving that Vic did not actually kill him.

Melinda's next lover, piano teacher Charlie De Lisle, is invited to a pool party at the home of Vic's friend Jonas Fernandez: Melinda continuously flirts with and flaunts Charlie in front of all the party guests, making Vic increasingly jealous. While they play around in the pool, it begins raining and everyone rushes inside, leaving Vic and Charlie alone in the water. Melinda later discovers, to her horror, Charlie dead in the pool, apparently from drowning. Upon questioning by police, Melinda is quick to accuse Vic of murdering Charlie, further raising Don’s suspicions. With help from Melinda, Don secretly hires a private investigator, who later poses as a psychotherapist. Vic, however, is quick to uncover this plot and crashes a Wilson family lunch, accusing Don of his wrongdoings.

Sometime later, Melinda reunites with an old college boyfriend, Tony Cameron, whose flirtatious behaviour incites jealousy within Vic. Vic drives Tony into the woods alone, before pushing him off a rocky hill, killing him. Vic then sinks the body into a nearby creek. Some time later, Vic returns to the creek to retrieve Melinda's scarf from a picnic trip they had the previous day, but as he attempts to sink Tony's body further into the water, he is suddenly surprised by Don, who catches him in the act and then recklessly drives his car to flee for help with Vic in pursuit, but in the ensuing chaos Don accidentally swerves his car off a cliff and is killed instantly upon impact.

At the same time, Melinda finds Tony's wallet with his identification in one of Vic's snail tanks, confirming Vic's knowledge of Tony's whereabouts. Melinda begins packing, intending to leave with their daughter, only to be defiantly confronted by Trixie to stay. After contemplating, Melinda burns Tony's ID, suggesting she intends to stay with Vic as he returns home.

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