Secrets and Lies
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Movie Reviews of Secrets and Lies
Movie Review: Wonderful movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Has wonderful humor and drama. It deserved the Oscar attention it got in it's day.Movie Review: Mike Leigh's most accessible, emotional film - just perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I've seen a good number of Mike Leigh's films over the years, from early works like Bleak Moments and Abigail's Party to later indie hits like Life Is Sweet, Naked, and High Hopes, but THIS is his BEST, most perfectly realized film to date - from the pitch-perfect performances of the entire cast (due to months of exhaustive rehearsal to develop the each character no matter how small or large the role) to the understated, minimalist direction to the somber score to the conversational "script," SECRETS & LIES slowly builds until its cumulative effect toward the climax is one of the deepest emotional blows ever deliver on film - you feel as if you KNOW and LIVE with these people, so that they cease to be mere characters on screen and, well, like your own circle of family and friends - not always pretty, often messy, always brilliant, SECRETS & LIES deserves to be on DVD to a wider audience can share in its spell it casts over you. My only gripe is Fox's typically bare-bones DVD format - c'mon, NO commentary from Leigh on his creative process, NO insights from the cast, many of which went on to win a clutch of awards and crossover American work (Blethyn, Baptiste, etc.), NO featurette or DELETED scenes! The film itself is enough, I just wish there were a bit more to flesh out the entire experience.Movie Review: Slow, "heavy", but worthy...
Summary: 4 Stars
Hortense, a young black woman, loses her adoptive Mother and commences a search to find her birth mother. She learns that her birth mother is Cynthia, a single parent working in a stamping factory and just making things meet. The story grows when secrets and lies begin to come out - and explode during a birthday barbecue for Cynthia's 21 year old daughter.
Reviews describe this movie as "hysterically funny and profoundly sad". While there were flashes of humor in the movie, I would agree with the "profoundly sad" characterization and there was plenty of gloom to go around here.
The first 30-45 minutes of setting the stage were quite slow so hang in there as the storyline starts to become quite engaging. The casting and acting by/for all of the major characters is terrific - the psychological anguish is apparent from the get-go - and the cinematography is wonderful.
Movie Review: Kitchen-sink comedy/drama with heart
Summary: 4 Stars
Mike Leigh's film won Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival. A young black woman decides to find her birth-mother only to discover her mother is white, just one among many of the SECRETS & LIES of this tale. A first-rate cast delivers knock-out performances. A bit on the long side, the film has both drama and comical moments, with a healthy helping of tenderness. The DVD has a good quality transfer of the widescreen original but no bonus features apart from the trailer (and a few other trailers). A first-rate comedy/drama with heart!Movie Review: Brilliant!
Summary: 4 Stars
Mike Leigh is spot on with his reality here, the story of an adoptee in search of her birth mother, and her past. The reality of how this affects everyone involved is gritty, realistic, heart wrenching and strangely relative to every viewer. The viewer can identify with a family's tendency to allow inner secrets, shame and guilt a pervasive niche of internal corrosion. The director deserves huge applause for capturing brilliant performances by an ensemble cast of perfection....a joy to watch!