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Deep Water

Written By Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

A deeply heartfelt documentary "Deep Water" is set In England in October of 1968. Donald Crowhurst, a 36 year-old weekend yachtsman and marine equipment manufacturer, impulsively  stakes his home on becoming a contestant of the first single-handed non-stop global circumnavigation as sponsored by the Sunday Times of London. Among his eight rivals are Bernard Moitessier, and Robin Knox-Johnston.

With Crowhurst's inexperienced attempt and overblown ambition, the public initially perceives him as an underdog contender taking on an enormous task. But only after a month he sets sail, it becomes crystal clear that his self-designed Trimaran would not last the voyage due to leakage. He is stuck in the dilemma of making a suicidal journey or being financially ruined for life. At the end of his rope, he cooks up some elaborate scheme by telling a lie, and stays hidden on the coast of Argentina until the three remaining yachtsman go around New Zealand,planning to sneak past them on the home stretch.

In this was pre-GPS satellite era, he falsely sends a telegraph message of his whereabouts. Faced with the empty, open sea, he slowly makes  a psychological transformation. The film recounts his haunting voyage of painful isolation. Relying on found daily footage of Crowhurst, as well as audio, directors Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell recreate the essence of his journey with a shrewd combination of his family's interview, bringing many suspenseful and poignant moments. Tilda Swinton's narration sends us into the huge swell of the vast sea, exploring an anti-heroic tale of an ordinary man who battles against the odds.

Another contestant, Bernard Moitessier, learns a great lesson from Mother Nature: just as he is about to grab the top prize, he refrained fame and fortune, turns around and circles the globe again, leaving only the sea to gaze upon his soul.

Directed by Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell
Narrated by Tilda Swinton
Director of photography: Nina Kellgren
Edited by Ben Lester
music by Molly Nyman and Harry Escott
Production designer: Jane Linz Roberts
Produced by Al Morrow, Jonny Persey and John Smithson
Released by IFC Films.
At the Angelika Film Center, Mercer and Houston Streets, Greenwich Village.
Running time: 93 minutes.