Emotional regulation and marital power dynamics: a psychoanalytic and psychosocial analysis of 'Águas Profundas' (2022)

Abstract

This article analyses the emotional dynamics and power struggles between Vic Van Allen and Melinda Van Allen in the film Deep Water (2022), directed by Adrian Lyne. The research adopts a qualitative and interpretative approach, grounded in film analysis and an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on contributions from psychoanalysis, the psychology of emotions, attachment theory, gender and masculinity studies, and sociological theories of power. The central objective is to understand how Vic’s extreme emotional control and Melinda’s constant provocation shape a marital dynamic characterised by repression, ambivalence and symbolic violence. The analysis shows that Vic’s apparent self-control can be interpreted as a defence mechanism associated with emotional suppression, whilst Melinda’s behaviour reveals relational patterns marked by a constant search for emotional validation. It is concluded that the marital relationship depicted in the film is not characterised by a lack of affection, but rather by difficulties in emotional symbolisation and communication, forming a relational system sustained by accumulated tension and subtle strategies of domination.