Eaux profondes

Gaumont

Industry	Film production and distribution
Headquarters	France

Eaux profondes is a 1981 French thriller film helmed by director Michel Deville, featuring performances by Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel Deep Water, the story centers on a man who wins back his wife's love through the elimination of two of her paramours.

Plot

Set on Jersey Island, Vic, a perfumer, and his wife Mélanie present themselves as a picture-perfect couple who host sophisticated social events. Despite this, Mélanie deliberately incites Vic by openly engaging in flirtations with other men. To intimidate her lovers, Vic warns them by insinuating that he was responsible for the disappearance of a man.

Mélanie persists in bringing men into their home, causing Vic to become increasingly distant. When she introduces Carlo, an employee at a hotel, during a gathering, Vic ultimately drowns him in the swimming pool. Although the authorities classify the death as accidental, Mélanie accuses Vic of murder. Subsequently, Mélanie hires a private detective as her lover to keep an eye on Vic; however, once his true role is uncovered, the investigator departs.

Vic later encounters Cameron, an American perfume distributor who becomes the object of Mélanie's pursuit. After Mélanie declares her intention to leave with Cameron, Vic confronts and kills him in a secluded location before disposing of the body in the sea. The police interrogate Vic but eventually close the investigation due to insufficient evidence. Aware of Vic's deeds, Mélanie starts to mend their relationship.

Cast

• Isabelle Huppert as Mélanie
• Jean-Louis Trintignant as Vic
• Sandrine Kljajic as their daughter Marion
• Éric Frey as Denis Miller
• Christian Benedetti as Carlo Canelli
• Bruce Myers as Cameron
• Bertrand Bonvoisin as Robert Carpentier
• Jean-Luc Moreau as Joël
• Robin Renucci as Ralph
• Philippe Clévenot as Henri Valette
• Martine Costes as La maman de Julie
• Évelyne Didi as Evelyn Cowan
• Jean-Michel Dupuis as Philip Cowan
• Bernard Freyd as Havermal
• Anne Head as La directrice
• Maurice Jacquemont as Docteur Franklin
• Sylvie Orcier as Jeanne Miller
• Pierre Vial as Le juge

See also

• Deep Water (2022)
• List of Isabelle Huppert performances

External links

• Eaux profondes on IMDb