The Deep Blue Sea

Understandably, one can totally confuse this British drama for a film about the underwater world and it’s features due to the description of the title (especially the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea), but the nature of the title definitely serves its definitive meaning within the film. Time and time again, we have witnessed these dramas involving traumatized civilians that take us on an emotional and thought-provoking ride where the occurred events lead to a very tender and important message. The play by dramatist Terrence Ratigan that this is based on has already been adapted once before into a film that starred Vivien Leigh and Kenneth More, but now comes forth a second adaptation of the play.

Although it is a 1950s British drama, the extraordinary title The Deep Blue Sea provides a personal reference to death as it illustrates how one’s life can sink to an incredibly low level that could go as far as to one considering an attempt at suicide. So, as a result of this, the film exposes an explanation informing that we do not know what goes on inside the mind. The Deep Blue Sea is not adapted in chronological order so it consists of just after the suicide attempt and then taken into numerous flashbacks that exposes the motive to do so. It literally opens up the consequences and personal affects that suicide really has, not so much on the individual committing it, but for the loved ones around that person.

Out of the six films since 1988 that he has directed, Terence Davies hasn't received any major recognition and a critical round of applause for his work. Considering that his latest film The Deep Blue Sea stars the dazzling and beautiful Rachel Weisz and uprising actor Tom Hiddleston, his work is yet again extremely underrated. What he provides with The Deep Blue Sea are concepts that are partially linked with the tones from a certain number of films directed by David Lynch, such as rather dark background settings, eerie music score and with some unique and creative camera angles. Including being the director, Davies also took the honorable role of penning the script of The Deep Blue Sea. There is so much dialogue within as it involves a lot of thought-provoking and up-close conversations like a play normally does. So all-round, Terence Davies honors the original play by Terrence Ratigan but makes it a solid drama.

To be quite honest, The Deep Blue Sea is one of those rare films where only a certain low number of specific key characters involved. Academy Award winning British actress Rachel Weisz has and we’ve seen her mostly as this simple, young, gorgeous woman in the majority of films that she has been part of. Her performance in The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer is rather different from anything she has done, so she provides a slightly new style of performance in this one. She’s a lot darker in nature and is a deeply distressed and fairly psychologically disturbed young woman who is in her own personal trap and tries to break free! Weisz's performance perhaps isn’t Oscar bait, but it’s definitely one of her best roles. Tom Hiddleston who got his breakthrough earlier in 2011 after Thor and he gives a distraught and emotional performance as Freddie Page. The chemistry between Freddie and Hester could have been a tad bit stronger, but it was solid enough to get to grips with and to feel the emotional attachment between them.

Overall, The Deep Blue Sea is a highly underrated drama that is definitely one of the best British films of 2011 as it provides both emotional drama and a psychological in-sight into the mind. No, this isn't going to be one of the greatest films that you’ll ever watch, but it is still provides what every film of this particular genre should: a meaningful message to its audience. So, for this reason, it is a recommended drama that is really worth checking out.