Deeply (2000)

So much average

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

After a tragedy, teenager Claire is brought to an coastal fishing village, which based on the closing credits must have been in Nova Scotia. Her mother Fiona has split up with Claire's father Max (who is not seen, though there is a phone conversation when the phone actually works). They are staying with Uncle Pete, and Claire hates being cut off from the world. In flashbacks, she is shown playing the violin with an orchestra of some sort, and she seems to like one of the boys in the orchestra. She brings the violin with her and does play once. A reference is made to the family living in Berlin, and the closing credits do refer to Berlin, Germany, but no one in this movie has an accent that would suggest they are German. I thought maybe these people were Scottish or Irish.One day while swimming in the ocean, Claire sees a package. It turns out to be a manuscript of a story by Celia, a cranky old woman. At first, Celia seems to want nothing to do with anyone else, but when Claire expresses an interest in the story, and this makes Celia happy. As Celia tells the story, we see it happen. Claire seems to cheer up whenever she visits Celia, but otherwise she remains quite bitter.A baby is born to Rose, the first baby of the fishing season, in a village that is one of the best places anywhere for fishermen. The people wonder if this baby will be "the one," as if she is something evil. The baby is baptized, and yet still people behave as if she is evil.Silly, the little girl, helps the fishermen out. She appears to be a hard worker. And shortly before she turns 16, she is pretty but quite a tomboy and certainly rough-natured. This must have been a family movie because surely such a girl in real life would have used language nice girls shouldn't hear, but Silly is almost G-rated. Almost.And then it happens. Every 50 years since the Vikings arrived nearly a thousand years earlier (probably not counting the years after the Vikings gave up on this place), there has been some sort of tragic death, and the fish have disappeared. It is called "the curse". The people are ready to give up, but Silly believes the fish will come back.After she steals the doctor's boat and wrecks it, Silly must go to work for the doctor, who also rents out rooms, to pay him back. He is a stern and demanding taskmaster, yet Silly continues with her attitude. Then comes the day a large ship docks in the community. Admiral Griggs wants to build a military base which would require changes that would put an end to fishing, even if the fish would have come back. Based on the date on a tombstone, all of this is taking place shortly after World War II. The admiral, his spoiled wife, and their handsome son James stay with the doctor, and Silly must tend to their every need. Actually, James stays in a tent on the beach, but Silly doesn't mind taking care of him, if you know what I mean.There are parallels to the present day. On the radio, it is announced that once again fishing has ended in this town and developers want to take over and make the community prosperous again.And Claire and Silly are both teens who are rebellious and misunderstood, who have had difficulties in their love life.Kirsten Dunst is the real reason to watch this movie. She does such a wonderful job, and of course her looks add something, even if her appearance isn't consistent with her character's background. I wouldn't have even known Lynn Regrave, but I guess she is getting up in years. She too gives a very good performance. And Brent Carver is quite good as Silly's frustrated father. I will say everyone with a leading role does a good job.I liked the traditional music at a dance.Overall, I found this movie depressing. I was glad there were some pleasant scenes and even some humor, but this movie is probably intended for women or girls who "enjoy a good cry." That isn't me. I was particularly distressed with the progress of Claire's character. But if you are someone who keeps a supply of Kleenex for your favorite movies, and you enjoy stories about life on the coast where civilization hasn't quite caught up, this is a good choice.

Altogether, this movie was decent. I have to admit that I didn't care for it the first time I watched it, but when I saw it for the second time I saw many things that I'd overlooked. The movie isn't the most attention-grabbing at first, but it weaves together a lot of story lines, which all come together at the climax of the movie (which is beautifully and intricately done, the best scene.) Of course it is predictable, but what movie nowadays isn't? And even though we call it cliché, the clichés work because they're "good" clichés. Lovers running off together...dying as an ultimate sacrifice...an island curse... It's been done before, yada yada...so? It's still fun.The music haunting and very effective. I personally loved the actress who portrayed Claire, and I get rather annoyed when I see people harping on her German accent...especially when it states clearly IN the movie that Claire is FROM Berlin. Berlin is in Germany. Airgo: *She is supposed to have a German accent.* I was also impressed by the actress who played Celia. Very, very nice, and she gave a few laughs. I was not impressed with Kirsten Dunst. I don't believe that she gave enough in this role, and her accent was appalling and horrid to say the least. I can say nothing but Bad Acting. They could have gotten a different actress (not based on name and fame) and I'm sure the movie would have been better. Kirsten Dunst is a decent actress, but she disappointed me in this movie.I'm surprised that I haven't seen the boy who plays James around. He looks like a young Josh Hartnett, and was very believable in his role as the carefree James. He really stole my heart. I want one. All in all, I would say that this movie is good depending on tastes. I am a romantic at heart, and a fan of tragic romances...so I do like this movie. I don't watch it on a normal basis, and some parts of the movie I would change...but it is not half bad. The music and the lovely climax scene are the highlights of the movie...as well as what carries it entirely.Can I not stress enough how the CHARACTER was from Berlin, and so her German accent FIT her ROLE? Grr.

One thing I really liked about this film was the old-fashioned story-telling feel it had. So many movies now-a-days are all about fast-paced roller coaster rides full of explosions and digital effects. This movie was the opposite of that. This movie did not change my life. It wasn't a must-rent. Although I appreciated the non-Hollywoodness of this, the story and characters were not nearly as in-depth and thoughtful as they could have been. The kind of film that relies on story and character instead of bang and zoom demands a level of depth and insight that was not fully realized here. This is all beside the point, but Kirsten Dunst's accent was terrible, and I laughed out loud when she smoked a pipe because it was obvious she had no idea how to even hold it properly.

This film is undoubtedly the best I have seen in quite some time. Those that are skeptic about it, you must take into account the fact that everything it hoped to accomplish, it did. This story was the perfect fairy tale, with moving music and acting. Someone commented that it was in a way a Titanic rip-off. Well, that simply can't be, because Titanic was a 3/10 and this movie definitely deserves a 10/10. However, I fear it will remain underappreciated.This one's definitely a sleeper hit. Don't miss it.