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Deep End
1971 92 min United Kingdom, Germany R 16+
★7.4
Drama, Comedy
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Trailers
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EN
Description
London, England. Mike, a fifteen-year-old boy, gets a job in a bathhouse, where he meets Susan, an attractive young woman who works there as an attendant.
Starring
Jane Asher
Actor
John Moulder-Brown
Actor
Karl Michael Vogler
Actor
Awards
BAFTA 1972
— Best Supporting Actress
Key opinion
Deep End is a stylized and atmospheric drama that captures the intensity of teenage obsession against the gritty backdrop of a public bathhouse. While the performances and unique visual direction are widely praised for their evocative power, the narrative trajectory divides viewers as it shifts from a character-driven study to a more erratic, farcical conclusion.
| Production | The public bathhouse setting is masterfully utilized as a claustrophobic, grimy, and voyeuristic stage that grounds the film's psychological intensity. | |
| Direction | The film’s aesthetic style, characterized by bold color usage and a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere, effectively echoes the spirit of the French New Wave. | |
| Acting | John Moulder-Brown and Jane Asher deliver compelling, nuanced performances that anchor the central dynamic of naïve obsession versus pragmatic manipulation. | |
| Pacing | The narrative structure shifts from an engaging study of adolescent sexual frustration to a frantic, hormone-driven farce that loses its emotional grounding in the final act. |