What Lies Beneath

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2009)

In 1950s Connecticut, a seemingly happy young couple copes with personal problems. It's a beautifully realized film based on a 1961 novel by Richard Yates, although the screenplay is somewhat choppy. Mendes does an excellent job of evoking a period where life seemed to be simpler, but, as always, there were people who had to fight personal demons. Winslet and DiCaprio are terrific as the volatile couple, with the former seeking escape from her mundane existence while making life hell for the latter. Standouts in the supporting cast are Bates as a real estate agent and Shannon, funny and scary, as her mentally disturbed son. Newman provides a rather haunting score.