# Deep Water (2022 film)
**Deep Water** is a 2022 American erotic thriller directed by [Adrian Lyne](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrian-lyne), starring [Ben Affleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-affleck) and [Ana de Armas](https://www.edgepedia.org/ana-de-armas) as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a wealthy married couple whose agreement that Melinda may take lovers turns deadly when those lovers begin to disappear.[1](https://press.hulu.com/shows/deep-water/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/) It is adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1957 novel of the same name and was released on Hulu on March 18, 2022, after its planned theatrical release was canceled.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Adrian Lyne, his first film since *Unfaithful* (2002), a 20-year hiatus[4](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/) |
| Source | Patricia Highsmith's 1957 novel *Deep Water*, her fifth novel[4](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/) |
| Stars | Ben Affleck (Vic Van Allen), Ana de Armas (Melinda Van Allen), with Tracy Letts, Finn Wittrock, Jacob Elordi, and Lil Rel Howery[1](https://press.hulu.com/shows/deep-water/) |
| Release | Planned theatrical release of January 14, 2022 canceled by 20th Century Studios; streamed on Hulu from March 18, 2022[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29) |
| Runtime and rating | 1 hour 56 minutes; rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some violence[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022) |
| Reception | 35% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (233 reviews) and 25% on the audience Popcornmeter; Metascore of 53 on Metacritic[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deep-water-2022/critic-reviews/) |
| Production | Shot in 2021 in New Orleans; produced by Film Rites, Entertainment 360, New Regency, and Regency Enterprises[7](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/deep-water-87090/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Vic and Melinda Van Allen live in the small town of Little Wesley with their daughter Trixie. Their loveless marriage survives on an arrangement: to avoid divorce, Melinda is allowed any number of lovers as long as she does not leave the family.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/) Vic becomes fascinated by the unsolved murder of one of her former lovers, Martin McRae, and takes credit for the killing to drive away her current fling; when the real murderer is caught, the community reads his claims as dark jokes.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/)
The pretense collapses when Melinda's lover Charlie is found dead in a swimming pool, and Melinda accuses Vic of murdering him to the police. Their new acquaintance [Don Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-wilson) ([Tracy Letts](https://www.edgepedia.org/tracy-letts)) grows suspicious and, with Melinda's help, secretly hires a private investigator who poses as a psychotherapist; Vic uncovers the scheme and confronts Don at a family lunch.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/) When Melinda reunites with an old college boyfriend, Tony Cameron ([Finn Wittrock](https://www.edgepedia.org/finn-wittrock)), Vic drives him into the woods alone and pushes him off a rocky hill to his death.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/) In the film's telling, Vic's wealth comes from having invented a microchip used by combat drones, and his cover of ordinary hobbies includes running a small publishing firm and tending a snail farm.[8](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/deep-water-lurid-tale-sex-murder-domestic-strife)
## Production and release
The film marked Adrian Lyne's return to directing after two decades; his earlier credits include *9½ Weeks*, *Fatal Attraction*, *Indecent Proposal*, and *Unfaithful* (2002).[4](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/) It was shot in 2021 in New Orleans.[7](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/deep-water-87090/) The producers were Garrett Basch, Steven Zaillian, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Arnon Milchan, and Anthony Katagas.[1](https://press.hulu.com/shows/deep-water/)
Attribution for the screenplay differs by source. Hulu's press materials credit a screenplay by Joe Penhall,[1](https://press.hulu.com/shows/deep-water/) while Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and The Numbers list Zach Helm and [Sam Levinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-levinson) as screenwriters.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deep-water-2022/critic-reviews/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29)
20th Century Studios scheduled a theatrical release for January 14, 2022 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany, but those releases were canceled, and the film debuted instead as a Hulu streaming release on March 18, 2022.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29) The release had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and reviewers noted the film was effectively moved to streaming after Disney's acquisition of Fox.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29) • [9](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deep-water-movie-review-2022) It later became available on Disney+ as well.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022)
## Source novel and earlier adaptations
Highsmith's *Deep Water* (1957) is her fifth novel, returning to her recurring themes of marital infidelity, jealousy, lust, and violence. In the book, once Melinda's lovers begin dying she suspects Vic, setting off a cat-and-mouse game heightened by a local pulp fiction writer who also suspects him.[4](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/) The novel was first filmed as *Eaux profondes* (1981), directed by Michel Deville, who moved the story to France and cast [Isabelle Huppert](https://www.edgepedia.org/isabelle-huppert) as Melinda, renamed Melanie.[4](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/)
## Reception
Critical response was divided. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 35% Tomatometer from 233 reviews and a 25% audience score, with the critics consensus saying viewers seeking a new erotic thriller might find it worth a dip but that it is far from Lyne's best work.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 53, based on 46 critic reviews: 19 positive, 21 mixed, and 6 negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deep-water-2022/critic-reviews/)
Supporters praised the leads and the genre's return. The Film Stage scored it 91, calling it a film unafraid of being lurid and provocative, and IndieWire's 75 review found Lyne back in his familiar territory of envy, lust, and psychosexual control.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deep-water-2022/critic-reviews/) The BFI's Sight and Sound review described it as an intoxicating thriller built on a dangerous game of one-upmanship between the couple.[8](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/deep-water-lurid-tale-sex-murder-domestic-strife) Detractors targeted the script and the ending: RogerEbert.com's review called the final act choppy and suspected editing problems, while a Digital Trends review argued the film contained no eroticism and no thrills.[9](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deep-water-movie-review-2022) • [10](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/deep-water-2022-review/) Several reviews noted the film's ambiguity dissolves around the midpoint, making it more predictable as a thriller.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022)
## References
1. [Deep Water, Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/shows/deep-water/)
2. [Deep Water (2022) – Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180339/plotsummary/)
3. [Deep Water (2022) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Water-%282022%29)
4. [A Comprehensive Guide to Every Patricia Highsmith Adaptation, Time](https://time.com/6158796/deep-water-patricia-highsmith-adaptations/)
5. [Deep Water (2022), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deep_water_2022)
6. [Deep Water critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deep-water-2022/critic-reviews/)
7. [Deep Water – Production Listing, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/deep-water-87090/)
8. [Deep Water is a lurid tale of sex, murder and domestic strife, Sight and Sound (BFI)](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/deep-water-lurid-tale-sex-murder-domestic-strife)
9. [Deep Water movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deep-water-movie-review-2022)
10. [Deep Water review: A slow burn without any fire, Digital Trends](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/deep-water-2022-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released in 2022*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license