Movie review
March 17, 2022 · 116 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Deep Water.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent roles use standard Hollywood stars in story-appropriate affluent couple parts with no visible identity signaling, quota-style casting, or emphasis on diversity.
Woke political dialogue
All dialogue centers on personal relationships, jealousy, affairs, and suspicion with no political, activist, or identity content.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative examines individual marital dysfunction and moral ambiguity without race, gender ideology, queer elements, or social identity plotlines.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Personal conflicts stay psychological and character-focused; they are not reframed as activist critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, or Western norms.
Review
Deep Water is a 2022 erotic psychological thriller directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. A wealthy husband enables his wife’s open affairs to hold their marriage together, then becomes the prime suspect when her lovers start disappearing. The story follows personal jealousy, obsession, and twisted mind games in an affluent suburban setting, with no audience-visible emphasis on identity themes, activist messaging, or social-justice framing.
Woke character or canon changes
The adaptation updates the 1957 novel’s setting and adds erotic intensity for modern audiences but makes no identity-driven or DEI reinterpretations of characters or source material.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No anti-woke or right-leaning complaints frame the film as advancing woke or identity politics messaging; criticism targets only its thriller execution.
Creator track record context
Involves Sam Levinson with moderate prior signals alongside mostly apolitical figures like Adrian Lyne and commercial producers showing no strong activist or identity-driven patterns.
Production
