The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

After a failed suicide attempt, a woman (Rachel Weisz) recalls how stuck in a conventional middle class marriage to a high court judge (Simon Russell Beale), she fell passionately in love with an immature ex-R.A.F. pilot (Tom Hiddleston, WAR HORSE) and left her husband. But it's clear that her ardor for him far exceeds his feelings for her. Based on Terence Rattigan's acclaimed 1952 play (previously filmed in 1955 with Vivien Leigh), this is director Terence Davies' first narrative film in 12 years. Released last year in England, it's only now getting a U.S. release. It's a perturbing examination of the ugly side of love. There's nothing romantic or even erotic about the relationship between the woman for whom physical passion consumes her to the point that she willingly humiliates herself to the object of her ardor even while he abuses her. Ah, the messiness of love! Davies' direction is painstakingly meticulous and precise and if it sometimes seems that you could drive a truck through some of the pauses in the film, the effect is stunning. Davies takes great liberty with the Rattigan text. The homosexual ex-doctor, an important character in the play is reduced to two small scenes in Davies' film. There's no original score, Davies uses a violin concerto by Samuel Barber. With Barbara Jefford and Ann Mitchell.