There was great talk (and a few nominations) over Rachel Weisz’s performance in The Deep Blue Sea. Frankly, I wasn’t able to make it through the entire movie without fast-forwarding through parts to the end.
I’m sure mindset has a lot to do with how we interpret and receive films, and whatever mine was, it did not provide me patience last night for a woman who married without understanding life, who sought passion where the only thing to be offered was passion, then regretted her decisions. Much of the film is told in flash-backs as she recovers from an attempt to escape her life—-revealed in the opening scene. Pathetic is the word of impatience that comes to mind.
On the other hand, the film is set in 1950 England, and that time was so very different. When I place the story in that context, I can understand the depth of her struggles and frustration: women did not have their own voices to seek or wait for love, actual fulfilling, passionate, tender, caring love. And that’s sad. Of course, as a commentary, when we view that story in today’s times, I find it more sad to know women who enter relationships for much the same reasons that Hester married William—-a fear of being alone or independent.
Upon reflection, the movie said a lot more than I realized at the time. And how Hester stands up to William’s mother shows perhaps the fire inside that you can only wish Hester would apply to the rest of her life—-to live, to embrace, to find joy.
Musings on Films, Books, and Other Media Forms
