Indie DVD Round-Up: "The Deep Blue Sea" and "Weekend"

The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

The Basics: A deliberately paced drama, set during the 1950's, focusing on a love triangle. At the center is the beautiful Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz), who is married to the much older High Court Judge Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale). William provides her with financial security and a place in society, but he is rather emotionally aloof. His mother (Barbara Jefford) is very similar, but treats Hester with disdain, believing that she is not good enough for her son. Hester is secure, but not happy, so when she meets and begins an affair with a young Royal Air Force pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), who brings out her passionate side, she wants to believe that she can find the happiness that eludes her.

Reasons to Watch: The Deep Blue Sea features solid performances, but feels more like a stage play than a movie. That is not a criticism, just an observation. While I found the characters and their relationships to be realistic, I had trouble feeling empathy for any of them, since they are all unlikable. Kudos for the inclusion of the classic Jo Stafford song "You Belong to Me" during a group scene which finds many of the actors singing along.

The Bottom Line: A slow paced, well acted film with a character driven story that brings the demons out in every character. A solid Indie effort from writer/director Terrence Davies.



Weekend (2011)

The Basics: A romantic drama focusing on an encounter between two men, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New), who are anticipating a one night stand, but their time together turns into something unique and special, prompting them to contemplate a relationship.

Reasons to Watch: The performances by the aforementioned actors are understated and completely believable. Russell appears to have fallen in love overnight, while Chris is more reserved about his feelings, but sees something unique about Russell that makes him reconsider previously made plans. I enjoyed listening to the duo talk about their night together in a comfortable, relaxed manner.

The Bottom Line: Quality Indie effort from writer/director Andrew Haigh that transcends a typical relationship drama and is accessible for any viewer, regardless of their sexual orientation. Potential viewers should be aware that the sound on the DVD (at least the one I rented) is not the best. During some scenes, I had to keep adjusting the volume because the sound was almost inaudible at times. In addition, there is not a subtitles option, which I sometimes use in a case such as this one. FYI.