Movie Review
When it comes to teenagers in Netflix's latest sci-fi drama Deep, these kids stay on their feet for days. As expected, things soon get ugly.
Storyline
This Thai drama follows a group of insomniac medical students who are encouraged to sign up for an experimental procedure known simply as The Deep. This project involves inserting a chip and extracting a chemical known as Gratonin. This is the opposite of Melatonin, the body's "sleep medicine". The experiment in question involves the extraction of Graton on behalf of a pharmaceutical company called 'Weimar'.
This experience is divided into three different levels with different outcomes and side effects for each. While level one sees children swimming unscathed, levels 2 and 3 quickly turn into extremely turbulent waters.
The teenagers in question are pretty simple in their motivations, with our central protagonist being a girl named Jane. He is a quiet student at the top of his class and is the sole caretaker for his sister and grandmother. Unfortunately, the family is in debt and he needs to make money fast. Considering he's suffering from insomnia and the project is doing well, joining The Deep seems like a no-brainer.
Win, a troubled student who spends most of his time partying, joins him for the trip. In contrast, there is Jin, the most popular girl in the university. But societal pressure forced him to take sleeping pills. The team is led by Peach, who is lonely and spends most of her time playing video games.
Characters
The characters have pretty consistent arcs throughout the film, with the ending working especially well to wrap up their stories in a satisfying way. While some have complained that their actions are a bit erratic and contrived during levels 2 and 3 of the experiment, sleep deprivation can do crazy things to people, and the script definitely knows that. In fact, these segments feel like a glorified get-out-of-jail-free card.
Twists
There are some nice twists here too, though you should definitely suspend your disbelief with the basics and ideas presented here. In a way, this movie feels like a cross between Ghost Lab, the Mandarin On Children series, and 2016's Nerve. The result is a film that has some great ideas at its core, but doesn't shape them into a fully satisfying watch.
Pacing is a bit of an issue here too, and despite its 100-minute running time, Deep never feels like it's settling into a consistent rhythm. It's a shame because visually it's a real keeper.
There are some beautifully stylized shots with neon-lit scenes and attractive montages. The usual dizzying array of massive blur filters and swirling shots are also on offer in the sleep deprivation scenes, with the cast complementing these visuals nicely with some solid acting.
Deep isn't the best film of the year, and it's certainly not without its problems. However, if you can switch off and go for the premise, Deep has some highlights – including a nice little twist at the end. Unfortunately, those moments were drowned out by an overwhelming sea of mediocrity surrounding this fantastic scene.
There's definitely enough here to keep you hooked, but it remains to be seen whether what's here will see you through to the end without feeling the effects of melatonin.