Deep Water (B or 3/4 stars)
Sometimes you can't play with destiny. 'Deep Water', a documentary directed by Louise Osmond, Jerry Rothwell, & narrated by Tilda Swinton, follows the tragic around-the-world yacht race of 1968. The journey takes a huge emotional/psychological toll on all 9 competitors, but none more so than amateur sailor, Donald Crowhurst. Throughout his journey, Crowhurst battles the sea. But he also battles some demons; doubting his intuition, his skills, & his very own soul. Alone for nearly a year, this film looks at the metaphysical transformation that took hold of Crowhurst, and the ironic, unfortunate destiny which befalls him.
By the 60's, almost everything had been claimed (the continents, the Arctic, the moon, etc.). But no man had single-handedly sailed around the world ... without stopping. This film chronicles 3 of the 9 sailors. And there is excellent use of archival footage filmed by the men while aboard their vessels. Using this footage, plus journal excerpts, newsreels, still photos, interviews with members of the sailors' families, & audio recordings ... we're voyeurs to the physical experience & emotional complexity that the journey entails. And while the men battle the surf, the families on land would battle the mass media hounds.
While we witness the wonderful reception that the winner receives upon his return, and we witness how one sailor decides to ditch the expedition and take a pleasure cruise to Tahiti, the focus of the documentary IS on Donald Crowhurst and his journeyman descent into depression, self-destruction & cowardice. Crowhurst's wife and son recall the days before & after Daniel's departure. And they recall the torment that followed in the coming months & years. Mrs. Crowhurst regrets never having stopped Daniel before setting sail. She truly believes that had she asked him not to go, he'd 'at least' contemplate it. But alas, whether it was a search for himself, or an ego thing, or a desire to 'win', or grasping for dignity, Crowhurst fell into a trap once out at sea.
Realizing too late that he hadn't the skill, the $$, the resources, or the determination to either drudge on OR stop altogether ... Crowhurst stalls his shoddy boat in the middle of the ocean for months til the other boats had already circumnavigated the globe. He also made a stopover in South America (something against the rules). At this point, he was playing with his OWN rules. His demeanor had changed. Winning meant nothing anymore. Family meant nothing to him anymore. He was desperate, detached, wallowing in his own misery. Could he fathom returning to England as a failure? Could he survive his own floundering sanity?
This is a compelling documentary; building steam as it goes. And just when you thought Crowhurst was in the clear to return home in the last leg of the race, fate steps in and changes ... everything. Watching the muted pain in the faces of Crowhurst's wife & son as they give their descriptions & opinions of what happened is something to behold. Not having known anything about this topic beforehand, I can say that I'm surprised this story hasn't been tackled until now. It took a while for the documentary to ensnarl me. But once it did, I couldn't keep my eyes from watching the horror of this lonely man, drifting away in a vast sea. In many ways, Donald Crowhurst was the anti-hero. But to his own self, he was God. It's pretty remarkable to see what a little isolation can do to the human psyche.
By the 60's, almost everything had been claimed (the continents, the Arctic, the moon, etc.). But no man had single-handedly sailed around the world ... without stopping. This film chronicles 3 of the 9 sailors. And there is excellent use of archival footage filmed by the men while aboard their vessels. Using this footage, plus journal excerpts, newsreels, still photos, interviews with members of the sailors' families, & audio recordings ... we're voyeurs to the physical experience & emotional complexity that the journey entails. And while the men battle the surf, the families on land would battle the mass media hounds.
While we witness the wonderful reception that the winner receives upon his return, and we witness how one sailor decides to ditch the expedition and take a pleasure cruise to Tahiti, the focus of the documentary IS on Donald Crowhurst and his journeyman descent into depression, self-destruction & cowardice. Crowhurst's wife and son recall the days before & after Daniel's departure. And they recall the torment that followed in the coming months & years. Mrs. Crowhurst regrets never having stopped Daniel before setting sail. She truly believes that had she asked him not to go, he'd 'at least' contemplate it. But alas, whether it was a search for himself, or an ego thing, or a desire to 'win', or grasping for dignity, Crowhurst fell into a trap once out at sea.
Realizing too late that he hadn't the skill, the $$, the resources, or the determination to either drudge on OR stop altogether ... Crowhurst stalls his shoddy boat in the middle of the ocean for months til the other boats had already circumnavigated the globe. He also made a stopover in South America (something against the rules). At this point, he was playing with his OWN rules. His demeanor had changed. Winning meant nothing anymore. Family meant nothing to him anymore. He was desperate, detached, wallowing in his own misery. Could he fathom returning to England as a failure? Could he survive his own floundering sanity?
This is a compelling documentary; building steam as it goes. And just when you thought Crowhurst was in the clear to return home in the last leg of the race, fate steps in and changes ... everything. Watching the muted pain in the faces of Crowhurst's wife & son as they give their descriptions & opinions of what happened is something to behold. Not having known anything about this topic beforehand, I can say that I'm surprised this story hasn't been tackled until now. It took a while for the documentary to ensnarl me. But once it did, I couldn't keep my eyes from watching the horror of this lonely man, drifting away in a vast sea. In many ways, Donald Crowhurst was the anti-hero. But to his own self, he was God. It's pretty remarkable to see what a little isolation can do to the human psyche.