Customer Reviews

Deeply [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"I'll start at the beginning, as all stories must..."
- Celia (Lynn Redgrave)

A good story has the power to heal and if you have seen The Secret of Roan Inish, you will enjoy this story even more. You are immediately drawn into this haunting tale by a rather moody Claire Mackay (Julia Brendler), a grieving teenage violinist who seems uninterested in living in an isolated island community off the coast of Nova Scotia.

She and her mother (Alberta Watson) arrive on the island and Claire is given a package to deliver, which she forgets at the beach. After a fight with her mother, she finds an emotional release in swimming as far as she can into the water's salty soul. The viewer might assume she has drowned as I did, but suddenly we find her washed up on the beach with the small package floating in the edges of the foamy surf at her bare feet.

Claire's brooding moods almost border on depression at first until she finds Celia (Lynn Redgrave), the owner of the package. We soon find out this is a story Celia is writing has been rejected by the publishers. As she hangs the dripping pages up to dry on the clothesline, Claire becomes rather interested in the story.

Two stories then start to intertwine like seaweed waving on the floor of the ocean. Claire and Silly's lives have so many similarities. They are almost mirrors to one another's souls. Celia knows that her story was just waiting for Claire to discover it.

Silly (Kirsten Dunst) is the girl in Celia's story who is born at the beginning of the fishing season on a cursed island, she has a strange affinity to the call of the sea. As she swims in the ocean as a very young child, her eyes change color and this startles her mother. No one in the fishing village will tell her about the ancient legend of a Viking ship that passed by so long ago and was shipwrecked near the island.

The island is cursed and every 50 years the fish dissapear and someone drowns to break the curse. Everyone on the island believes that the sea has come to take that individual as a sacrifice. While this part of the story seems pretty intense, it is played out rather mildly in the film.

This is also a love story where two people find one another quite by chance. James (Trent Ford), the son of a wealthy British Admiral is drawn to the island and falls in love with Silly. He spends most of his time camped out in a tent on the beach where they meet occasionally. James and Silly share moments of happiness, but sadly make the mistake of taking destiny in their own hands and run into a storm they cannot control.

If you love the sound of the ocean, the feel of sand between your toes and a salty breeze tousling your hair, this movie will take you there.

Lingering memories melt with myth to capture the
essence of beauty you expect from a fairy tale.

~The Rebecca Review

What could have been a truly touching drama becomes tiresome at times. When a young girl is taken to a cursed, remote island by her mom, she comes to learn about the history of this place. She's told of Kirsten, who plays a special girl called Silly, who holds the secret of lifting a curse which plagues the island every 50 years. Only problem is, all the townsfolk seem to know this secret, except of course Miss Silly. Uhmm . . . I wonder how she got that silly name? You'd think by the time you're 16 years old, you'd have done just about everything to everyone to get some answers and come out of the dark. Nooo, not Miss Silly. She pouts and screams and stamps her foot, to no avail.

Although I managed to shed some tears in the final sequences, the preceding scenes are so drawn out, that the viewer can't help but feel that the director is purposely trying to torture us into thinking that there is an extremely blinding light at the end of the tunnel. But at the end of the day, all we get is a light no brighter than all the rest.

Three stars for solid acting, effective atmosphere and a moving score.

Deeply is the story of a teenager (Claire) and her mom, who travels to a remote Island off the coast of Nova Scotia, determined to put the past behind them.

Claire, emotionally scarred from a tragic accident, immerses herself in folklore and befriends an elderly woman who writes fairytales.

The woman starts telling Claire of her latest yarn, a story about a young woman named Seelie, and the Viking curse, which has befallen the island.

Through the course of her story, Claire comes to identify with Seelie and finds emotionally healing for herself.

I watched this story because of the premise (I love anything Viking) and was somewhat disappointed. I failed to connect with any of the lead characters, the plot seemed to switch indiscriminately between past and the present, and we never did get to learn more about the "curse." or what exactly was "In the water." Also, the ending was very poorly done.

Dunst does some decent acting, though, but even she could not save this flick from being anything but average. Worth seeing for some beautiful shots of Nova Scotia, or for those who like obscure ghost stories... For me, I'll pass on a second viewing.

Don't count on me to recap the actress names, because I don't know them, but I will admit that this film got my attention. I rented it a while back and saw it once with a friend. It isn't for everyone, that I will admit, but if you like the artistic movie that really makes you think. This is one to get. The music is wonderfully composed, and relates so well with the picture that it is...harmonious. I would recomend this movie to anyone who is interested in more than just a shoot-em-up movie. Who is looking for a beautifully written drama that will grab their attention.

_Deeply_ is a beautifully filmed if rather somber movie, ostensibly a fantasy story but with the magical elements very subtle. Really it is two stories. One is a framing modern day story, perhaps not unlike say _The Princess Bride_, though this plotline is much more serious. It focuses on a teenager who had undergone some sort of trauma while at school in Europe, a trauma only hinted at and not revealed until much later in the film. Brought to an island community (never named), one that used to thrive on fishing but is now largely uninhabited, this teenager, Claire McKay, has moved into a house with her mother and her uncle. Not only not wanting to be on the very isolated island (there is only one boat on the island and it is frequently in use), Claire doesn't want to talk to her mother or her uncle and just wants to grieve. Her mom and her uncle think they are doing the right thing by bringing her to the island, but Claire doesn't seem to think so at all.

She becomes, after a time, friends with an eccentric next neighbor, a near elderly woman by the name of Celia (played by Lynn Redgrave). Celia engaged Claire's interest by reading a story she had been writing, one that would appear to have had no ending until Claire showed up, a tragic tale set on the same island in the 1940s, one involving another teenager, a woman by the name of Silly (played by Kirsten Dunst).

The fantasy elements revolve around the founding myth of the island, that the first would-be settlers were Vikings, and one Viking couple, a man and a woman, the woman pregnant with the couple's child, perished in a storm before they could reach the island's shores. Just before they perished beneath the sea, they cursed the island, the curse being that every 50 years the fish would dry up unless a chosen one, apparently a young woman, sacrificed herself. Was Silly that chosen one that story seems to ask? Was the curse real? Is that her destiny?

The viewer never is sure if that is curse is real or not, as while the islanders take it seriously, outsiders do not, and there are little obvious magical elements except on two occasions (and even those occasions are open to interpretation).

Really for me the movie is about accepting the loss of loved ones, of moving on, perhaps dealing with survivor's guilt. The story-within-the-story, starring Ms. Dunst is a romance, at times funny, but without giving too much away is ultimately tragic.

I found the movie a bit somber at times, moody, many scenes of quiet people contemplating the sea while the waves crashed on the shore and orchestral music could be heard in the background or for the story of Silly, much of that revolved around a rebellious teenager (echoing the quieter rebellions of the grieving Claire in the present). Sometimes I found the pace a bit slow but I thought it well made. The scenery was beautiful, Ms. Dunst is a good actress, and I generally liked it.

If you are looking for an action adventure or a romantic comedy, this isn't the right movie for you. However, if you have ever loved and lost, or if you can empathize with a well-told tale of star-crossed lovers set on a mystical, haunted island experiencing the woes of the modern Newfoundland-Nova Scotia fishery-- you've gotta have this one on DVD. While not anywhere near on the same technical level as Titanic, The Shipping News or The Perfect Storm, Deeply's more innocent, yet darkly foreboding story harkens back to the lost art of storytelling, and in my opinion, exceeds its lookalike big-budget Hollywood blockbusters in eliciting catharsis.

Some reviewers claim they cannot suspend belief long enough to buy into the mystery and superstitions surrounding the disappearance of the fish attributed to a Viking curse. However, they need not suspend belief as I can assure you the once abundant fish really have all but disappeared from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The tales of Viking curses have always been floating around, but they began increasing in popularity since the millennial anniversary of Leif Eiriksson's landfall near L'Anse Aux Meadows held in the summer of 2000.

Those who claim the story and its presentation as a Shakespearian "play within a play" is unoriginal are not entirely wrong, but they simply fail to appreciate that all good faerie-tales are unoriginal-- the point is not the freshness of the tale but of its telling. The result of focusing on a masterful telling of a familiar story ensures that this movie will be worth watching over and over again. Perhaps there are fewer surprises than in Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, yet many people never get tired of watching such classics. Anyone deep enough to appreciate Grimm's faerie tales and Shakespeare's plays (more than once) won't mind that they are instantly familiar with Deeply's storyline and its strong parallels to similar stories like James Cameron's Titanic.

The critics who complain about Kirsten Dunst's failed attempt to stretch beyond her talent make a legitimate point. The director should have noticed that Dunst was failing to meld with the culture enough to adequately adopt her character's accent and mannerisms. There was an obvious out-- Silly's mother was the only educated mainlander in town, so it would have been believable to allow Dunst to use her natural accent instead of butchering the maritime lilt into a goofy mix of Ozark hillbilly and Texas drawl. The writer-director must have decided that Silly's backwater accent, incongruous or not, provided a crucial cultural contrast to the refined British accent of other characters. Yet, in spite of the distractions, Dunst captures Silly's spirit in a way few other young actresses can, and delivers a far more powerful performance than did Kate Winslett and Julianne Moore in their counterpart roles.

All the other actors delivered splendid performances, naturally outshined by Lynn Redgrave as Celia, who had little screen time, but nonetheless nailed the local accent and mannerisms in unfortunately stark contrast to Dunst's Silly. However, I believe that anyone who emotionally tunes into the movie early on will not only ignore its faults, but want to see it again and again on DVD.

The modern celtic soundtrack too rarely employs folk music for atmosphere-- the lone Irish dance is beautiful, but it seems the movie missed a rare opportunity to employ well-performed Canadian folk songs like "I'se the B'y", "Feller from Fortune", "As I Roved Out", "Dark-Eyed Sailor", "The Crosshanded Way", "She's Like the Swallow" or any of a whole host of local ballads, jigs and reels that would have perfectly complemented the movie's timeless historical sub-plot. The soundtrack isn't bad, but like the movie's plot, it is a blend of Titanic and The Shipping News, and as such doesn't stand out like it could have.

I rent three or four DVDs a week, but have only seen fit to purchase The Princess Bride, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shipping News and several Shakespearean plays. Deeply was an unexpected find, but it is definitely next in line on my DVD wish list. Anyone else who appreciates the lost art of storytelling will probably love this movie, especially if they think the plots of the Titanic, The Shipping News and The Perfect Storm were a little too extreme.

... The synopsis on the back intrigues me because I love this type of storyline that blends reality and fantasy. I find similar qualities in the stories of Neil Gaiman. It reminded me of The Secret of Roan Inish, which is another film I highly recommend. Kirsten Dunst was not my favourite character, though she got most of the screen time. I really liked the actress who played Claire. She doesn't say much, but she wordlessly communicates her characters's feelings in a powerful way.

i found this movie years ago in the $5 bin at Walmart one day and i liked alot of movies with Kirsten Dunst and Trent Ford so i decided to purchase this and see how it was since $5 is no big loss if it turned out to be horrible. I was actually quite surprised with the movie. although at times it seems to move slowly, the overall story is quite beautiful yet bittersweet. It's one of those movies for people who love a good love story (despite the fact that its not exactly a "happy" love story) It's basically a a story about love that ends in tragedy (think Romeo & Juliet by the sea) I, personally, love this movie. I think its something different and i like how the two stories in one intertwine and the story of Silly's loss in turn helps Claire with her loss and kind of helps in the mending of her broken heart.

I have watched this movie a MILLION times already! I love this film! It is the first for Director Sheri Elwood of Bellwood Stories, and she and her partner have done a great JOB! The story itself is so sweet, yet tragic... Kirsten Dunst does a great job palying the lead role of a young woman who falls in love for the first time. And once there love is threatend, the two find a way to be together anyways. This story is dramatic, ghostly and above all, LOVELY! A must see for Kirsten Dunst fans. The movie is worth watching it just for the BEAUTIFUL SCORE by Micki Mueser. Which I hear (and I hope it's true) is soon to be released to the public! Oh how I can't wait! The movie flips from present time to the past, and is about the loss of loved ones, and how a SIMPLE story can releive the hurt. Trent Ford is a newcomer to films, and he is FANTASTIC! Soon to be in "Gosford Park," and "Slap Her, She's French." He shows extreme emotion, and plays a heartfelt character. WATCH THIS - YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!

I finally bought this DVD after watching the movie on TV a dozen times over the years. I don't know why I didn't buy it sooner.

The story is very sweet, and just draws you in. You completely forget about the time and just get drawn further and further in, waiting to see what will happen next. Even if you have already seen it!

It's an excellent addition to any story lover's collection.

As for genre, I suppose this is a mystery/romance. The story of "50 years ago" is set within a story of "today." It's delightfully timeless, which is something I love in any book or movie.