Upamanyu Biswas
At the end of ‘Into the Deep,’ Jess’s terrifying adventure at sea takes a difficult turn as she must decide who to believe as things start getting out of hand. While Lexi insists that she is in the right and Ben is the one they should be turning against, the young girl finds herself caught in the middle of a much larger conspiracy than she initially expected. To that end, the final moments focus on her trying to figure out the best way to survive and also understand the reasons behind Lexi’s actions and how she ended up on the ship. As chaos breaks out onboard, the protagonist must cast her loyalties firmly on one side of the divide or another or risk losing herself in the process. Therefore, it all comes down to a final showdown as the three characters try to achieve their goals as a much darker secret reveals itself. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Into the Deep Plot Synopsis
The movie begins with a dream sequence showing a young girl named Jess drowning in deep waters after a car crash. She eventually swims out of the depths, which leads to her waking up in real life. As she gets ready for the day, she notices that her father is sleeping with his girlfriend, which leaves her frustrated because Jess misses her mother. He comes by her bedroom later during the day, telling her that it has been several years since his wife’s death, meaning that both he and Jess should be moving on from her memory now. The protagonist is deeply affronted by the idea, blaming this change in attitude on her father’s girlfriend, Alice. However, he states that she has nothing to do with his belief that they must look ahead in their life without constantly feeling tied to the past.
Jess stops by her friend Emi’s seaside shop, where the pair play around for a while until a mysterious man peeks in through the shop door. Intrigued by his appearance, Jess decides to entice him back to the shop. As she converses with him, she learns his name, Ben, and also that he is a tourist who arrived at the town via his boat and is looking to stay for a while. Jess invites him to a beach party later in the evening, which he agrees to attend in the hopes of meeting up with her. Subsequently, we see her and Emi head out for the party after the sun goes down. While Emi mingles with her boyfriend during the event, Jess is asked out for a dance by a boy named Tom, who has feelings for her. Later, she shrugs him off when Ben shows up at the event. Angered by her rejection, Tom physically assaults Ben, who is taken aback by the aggression.
Once Ben tends to his injuries, he and Jess leave the beach. He gives her a private tour of his ship while they talk about personal details pertaining to each other’s lives. Before long, Jess develops a kindred connection to Ben, especially because he is so supportive of her, while the opposite is true back at home. They end up kissing one another, cementing their romance. The next morning, Jess wakes up in a state of disorientation as she realizes that the ship is already in the middle of the sea, courtesy of Ben. After the initial fear wears off, she and Ben spend more time frolicking around in the waters and on the ship, eventually even having sex. Later, a surprise arrives when they discover a young girl on a jet ski in the waters. They bring her on board, learning that her name is Lexi. Unbeknownst to them, her arrival signals the start of new dangers over the horizon.
Into the Deep Ending: Why Does Lexi Show Up on the Boat?
One of the main questions that emerge following Lexi’s introduction into the story is how she ended up on the ship. Although she states that she found the boat on her jet ski after a night of partying left her stranded, there is something strangely off about her explanation. That sense of mystery only keeps increasing as we see her cast suspicious glances at Ben, indicating that there is something larger at play than simply a case of coincidence. After all, finding Ben’s boat on a jet ski in the middle of the sea is hard unless something else brings her there in the first place. This is without assuming that she wanted to find it herself, meaning that there was a larger plan at play. By the end, we learn that she indeed conspired to board the ship and was faking her story.
After Lexi boards the ship, the dynamic between Jess and Ben changes drastically. For one, the latter is seemingly interested in Lexi as he makes a few flirtatious passes on her, something that is noted by Jess as well. Yet, she turns a blind eye to them because she and Ben are in a newfound relationship born out of passion. Things start going out of hand when the trio plays a game of “flip, sip, and strip” in the late evening while the ship is still floating in the middle of the sea. The three take turns at the game until Ben suggests a small modification by bringing drugs into the equation. He convinces the two girls to take some pills, essentially freeing them from any inhibition. Subsequently, a night of partying unfolds, one that Jess is completely zoned out of because of her dulled senses.
When Jess wakes up the next morning, she realizes that she has no knowledge about what happened the previous night. She heads out of her room to search for Ben and Lexi. Eventually, she finds him in the boiler room, which has blood dripping from some of its equipment. Lexi then walks over to her and tells her that Ben tried to attack her the night before, and she had to defend herself. Unsure what to believe, Jess tries to be neutral in the conversation. However, she soon realizes that Lexi’s reasons for being on the ship are not random. In fact, she attests that she has previously been on the ship and claims that Ben seduced her just like he did with Jess. Therefore, her arrival was never a fortuitous encounter; it was a deliberate meeting arranged by her to exact vengeance against Ben.
Is Ben a Rapist? Does He Die?
Following the clarity behind Lexi’s motivations for showing up on the ship, the question arises about what drove her to pursue Ben. The answer proves to be a very dark one. As per Lexi’s admission, Ben brought her onto the ship like Jess many months ago. During that encounter, she states that he drugged her and then raped her, taking many pictures in the process. She tells Jess that Ben’s photography hobby is simply a way for him to capture sick and depraved photos of the girls he preys upon and to keep them for himself. When Jess hears this version of events from Lexi, she enters a state of denial simply because she cannot believe that the man who was so soft and caring towards her could be such a giant monster. However, as the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that Lexi’s claims are not far from the mark.
After being briefly sent overboard during an altercation with Lexi, Jess finds her way back to the ship via the jet ski. Subsequently, she investigates the ship’s premises and finds many naked photos of the girls Ben brought with him onto the ship. The nature of the pictures tells her that Ben is precisely the type of monster Lexi claims he is, thereby helping her make up her mind. She tries to take a stand against him alongside Lexi, but Ben gets free from his ropes right at that moment. He knocks out Lexi and starts hounding after Jess, who tries to defend herself with the flare gun. After he corners her in her room, she warns him to stay away from her. When he doesn’t, she shoots him with the flare, which buries itself deep in his chest, leaving him mortally wounded on the floor. As the whole ship catches fire, Jess heads upstairs, looking for a way to escape.
How Do Jess and Lexi Escape?
With the ship on fire and progressively burning down, Jess mounts the jet ski once more, seeing it as the only way to make her escape. She rides out a bit before stopping as she wonders about Lexi’s fate. Praying that the girl survives the fire, Jess waits on her jet ski, hoping that she can rescue her from the wreckage. Fortunately, her prayers are answered as Lexi surfaces from under the waves and mounts the jet ski behind Jess. As she breaks down in tears while holding onto Jess, the protagonist powers up the machine and rides out towards the horizon. In the meantime, we see the ship’s burning wreckage fold in on itself, showing little signs that Ben might have survived with his injuries. At least Jess and Lexi managed to escape the harrowing ordeal and find their way back home with their lives.
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