Rent Deep End (1970)

Why did it take me so long to see this? - Deep End review by NP

There were so very many interesting films released in the early 1970s, especially those from in and around Europe, it’s inevitable that some escape the attention they may deserve. As a personal observation, I can’t believe it has taken until 2022 for me to see this extraordinary and decidedly odd little UK/West German coming-of-age production.

Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski gives us an accurate look at London at the tail end of the swinging sixties, even though large portions of the film were shot in Munich. Beautiful people John Moulder-Brown and Jane Asher play Mike and Susan, who appear to be on course for a rocky love affair. Of course, things aren't as simple as that. Diana Dors is also excellent in a sensual role that reinvigorated her career.

Scenes were carried out with only a loose script, encouraging improvisation which gives a raw, sometimes awkward set of performances. The characters also come across as completely naturalistic, even if - as was common practise back then - many of the lines of dialogue were redubbed.

A heady slice of apparently small-time adolescent melodrama, this nevertheless becomes increasingly unsettling as it goes. It never becomes a horror film, but certainly has trappings of that genre. I absolutely loved it.