Deep Water

Vic Van Allen is a wealthy husband who tolerates his wife Melinda's serial affairs to avoid divorce, keeping a veneer of calm in a privileged suburban life. As Melinda's lovers start to disappear or meet suspicious ends, suspicion quietly shifts toward Vic, and the couple's flirtations with danger grow harder to dismiss. The movie traces how their casual cruelty and small humiliations escalate, with neighbors gossiping and the police asking questions, until truth and performance are hard to tell apart. Set in a sun-drenched enclave, the story quietly escalates as neighbors gossip and police probe, forcing friends and family to reassess what they thought they knew, and bitter compromises.

Released in 2022, directed by Adrian Lyne, Deep Water adapts Patricia Highsmith's novel with a screenplay credited to Zach Helm and Sam Levinson. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas lead a supporting cast including Tracy Letts and Lil Rel Howery.

The film had a limited theatrical release and was distributed on streaming platforms in several territories, so its box office was modest compared with wide-release features, and it reached more viewers through streaming platforms than in cinemas, finding niche audiences.

Deep Water reignited interest in glossy noir on screen and generated conversation about marital power, consent, and moral ambiguity in intimate relationships. Audiences and commentators frequently focused on the chemistry between Affleck and de Armas and the film's stylish, uneasy mood. It also marked Lyne's return to feature filmmaking, notably.

Critical reaction was mixed, reflected in a midrange audience score and varied reviews. Many reviewers praised the leads' performances while criticizing pacing, plotting, and tonal inconsistency. The movie centers on jealousy, manipulation, suppressed resentment, and the costs of cruelty disguised as tolerance. Opinions split over sympathy for Vic and Melinda.