Margaret Hall and her family live an upper middle class life in Tahoe City, California. Her husband is a pilot on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. She is startled to discover that her son Beau, a high school senior, has been having a sexual affair with 30-year-old Reno, Nevada, night club owner Darby Reese. Margaret visits Reese's nightclub, The Deep End, to demand that he stay away from her son. That night, Reese secretly visits Beau and the two meet in the boathouse. Beau confronts him about asking his mother for money. The two argue, eventually coming to blows. As Beau returns to the house, Reese leans on a railing, causing it to collapse, and falls into the water, impaling himself on an anchor. The next morning, Margaret discovers Reese's body on the beach. Margaret removes the body and dumps it in a cove but it is soon discovered and the police investigate it as a homicide. Soon after, a man named Alek Spera confronts Margaret with a tape of Darby and Beau having sex. Alek demands $50,000 in 24 hours or he will turn the tape over to the police, which would implicate Beau in Reese's "murder". Margaret struggles unsuccessfully to get the money. Alek calls Margaret the next day and tells her that she needs to get only $25,000 but Alek's partner, Nagle is convinced she is lying about not being able to raise the money. Nagle corners and beats Margaret but Alek arrives and the two men scuffle, and Alek strangles Nagle. Margaret attempts to take responsibility for Nagle's death, but Alek takes the body away in Nagle's car. As Margaret and her son drive looking for Nagle's car, they see it overturned in a ditch. Margaret attempts to free Alek, who is critically injured. Alek pleads with her to leave before the police arrive. Margaret stays until Alek dies. Back at home, Margaret, in a state of distress, is comforted by Beau. The camera then pulls back, as the scene shifts to the exterior of the house, the audience hears another phone call coming in from the absent husband, which Beau's sister answers. The Halls' normal life resumes.
The Deep End received positive reviews from critics and put actress Tilda Swinton on Hollywood's radar. Despite years of previous credits, it is considered her breakout role. Currently, it holds an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 116 reviews.
