The Deep End of the Ocean

A film about the nine years following a child's disappearance. Beth takes her three children to a high school reunion. While she is checking in at the hotel her youngest, Ben, wanders off. He is three, and he is never found. The first section describes the search: police, newspapers, tip-offs, and interest that fades with time. Beth does not recover; the household comes apart and the eldest son Vincent blames himself, because he had been told to watch his brother that day. Nine years pass. Beth is living in another town. One day a boy knocks at the door offering to mow the lawn, and he looks familiar. The real subject is what happens after he is found. The boy grew up with another name and another father, and he loves that man. The court's decision satisfies one side and splits the family again. The narrative offers no easy reunion: nobody returns to where they were, and the guilt Vincent has carried for years is not resolved. The source is Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Beth, Treat Williams her husband and Jonathan Jackson plays Vincent. Ulu Grosbard directed. A heavy but honest example for anyone who likes family drama. For a viewer expecting a comforting ending, the film does not provide one.