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Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Phyllis Logan, Timothy Spall, Claire Rushbrook ... see more see more... , Ron Cook , Linda Beckett , Brian Bovell , Stephen Churchett , Philip Davis , Terence Harvey , Annie Hayes , Sheila Kelley , Trevor Laird , Lesley Manville , David Neilson , Anthony O'Donnell , Lucy Sheen , Ruth Sheen , Liz Smith , Alison Steadman , Richard Syms , Jean Ainslie , Rachel Lewis , Peter Waddington , Peter Wight , Gordon Winter , Daniel Smith , Elizabeth Berrington , Lee Ross

A family is forced to confront the personal issues they've been avoiding for years in this powerful, realistic drama. Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is a working-class British woman whose life has been a lo... read more read more...ng series of painful disappointments. She's single with no romantic prospects and a dead-end job at a box factory. Her daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) works as a street sweeper and is chronically bitter. Cynthia helped raise her brother, Maurice (Timothy Spall), who is doing well as a photographer, but she rarely sees him and usually blames his wife, Monica (Phyllis Logan). One day, Cynthia receives a phone call from a woman named Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who claims to be the daughter Cynthia put up for adoption years ago. Cynthia initially reacts with panic, but she agrees to meet Hortense and is surprised to discover that she's a successful and soft-spoken eye doctor -- and that she's black. Cynthia is soon convinced that Hortense is just who she claims to be, and they quickly form a friendship that gives Cynthia a new source of emotional strength. However, when Cynthia decides to introduce the family to her new "friend," it forces them to confront the lies and evasions that have kept them apart all these years. Largely improvised by director Mike Leigh and his cast, Secrets & Lies features standout work by Brenda Blethyn (who earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (who was nominated as Best Supporting Actress), and Timothy Spall. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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90% liked it

10,246 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

36 critics

R, 2 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Mike Leigh

Release Date: February 28, 1996

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DVD Release Date: February 1, 2005

Stats: 692 reviews

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Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies Brenda Blethyn in Secrets & Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies Claire Rushbrook & Lee Ross in Secrets and Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Brenda Blethyn in Secrets & Lies Brenda Blethyn in Secrets & Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Brenda Blethyn & Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies Secrets & Lies
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Flixster Reviews (692)

  • Redlats
    May 9, 2012
    Redlats
    What do you do when the baby you put up for adoption 25 years ago suddenly calls you out of the blue and wants to meet -- especially if you are not all that happy with your life at the moment. This movie takes us through that. What I found amazing is that I read that most of th... read moree lines were improv. The actors were given their roles, but no actual script.
  • pier007
    December 9, 2011
    pier007
    It's been quite a while since something provoked me tears and laughter at the same time. A film with incredible humanity. Zany, tender and quite funny.
  • jamers2011
    September 4, 2011
    jamers2011
    Stunning film! A powerhouse drama fueled by a BRILLIANT cast and a great script. One of the best indie films I have ever seen. A near perfect film about people who are all connected and must face their "secrets and lies." An extremely low-budget indie film, but this grabs you and... read more never lets go.



    Brenda Blethyn should have won the Oscar for Best Actress, NOT Frances McDormand! She gives a devastating, emotional, and stunning performance. A must see!
  • matertenebraum
    February 10, 2011
    matertenebraum
    Mike Leigh's superb comedy-drama of family relationships. Heart-rending, bitter and delightful by turn

    Leigh's modern classic captured a brace of Oscar nominations but went home empty handed in the face of The English Patient's near clean sweep. Even Blethyn's Cannes-winning per... read moreformance lost out to Frances McDormand's Fargo turn (hard to challenge this decision, although in any other year the brilliant Blethyn would have deserved to win). The film eventually racked up a considerable number of awards, its Oscar success aside.

    The story, every bit as believable and real as the rest of Leigh's work, centres on a woman, Cynthia Purley (Blethyn ), whose mid-life crisis is further exacerbated by the appearance on the scene of the daughter she gave away at birth, the wonderfully named Hortense Cumberbatch (Baptiste) - a young, beautiful, professional black woman who causes a few eyebrows to be raised in the family, and forces Cynthia to come to terms with her past.

    Alternating between high comedy, scathing one-liners (Blethyn telling daughter Rushbrook she has a face like a "slapped arse" is a moment to treasure) and tear-jerking poignancy, with Spall, Rushbrook and Baptiste all offering strong support, this is nothing short of superb.

    Verdict A genuine hit for Mike Leigh, Secrets And Lies has the coarse grain of real life, sympathetically and affirmingly fashioned.
  • imrealgod
    February 2, 2011
    imrealgod
    Though I didn't like it as much as "Naked", I felt it to be an entertaining humorous family drama. Mike Leigh's execution is just amazing; I like the way he creates funny moments from the ordinary routine circumstances.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Not my favourite Mike Leigh film, but still a good film! The cast are fantastic!
  • hobster1
    August 30, 2009
    hobster1
    Dysfunctional family drama about people haunted by the past. Reportedly most of the performances were improvised with director Mike Leigh simply providing the actors with an outline of their characters. This makes Brenda Blethyn's stunning performance all the more amazing, howe... read morever it also explains the lack of focus that plagues the film. The surprising realization that forms the basis of the film, doesn't even come to light until fully one hour into this overlong 142 minute film. The film recovers a bit, but by then it's too little too late.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    March 23, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    *On my "best of the 1990s" list.
  • tsigur
    August 9, 2007
    tsigur
    It's like the greatest soap opera ever made!
  • SarahG1988
    June 1, 2007
    SarahG1988
    It tells the story of Hortense Cumberbatch, a successful black woman who traces her family history and discovers that her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley, is a working class white woman. Cynthia's brother, Maurice Purley, is a photographer who is married to a petty house-proud suburb... read morean housewife.

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    Wow! is all I can say. . This is a feast of tremendous acting, by a most talented ensemble who really become their characters. The scenes play out very naturally, and you really feel a part of the story, with special empathy towards - in no particular order - Cynthia, Maurice and Hortense. As the film builds towards a showdown/climax at the birthday party, you can even take a step back and at least sympathize with Roxanne and even, Monica.

    Alternating between high comedy, scathing one-liners (Blethyn telling daughter Rushbrook she has a face like a "slapped arse" is a moment to treasure) and tear-jerking poignancy, with Spall, Rushbrook and Baptiste all offering strong support, this is nothing short of superb. I loved the attention to detail on families. Having only watched Vera Drake before, I can still see how imprtant Leigh pays attention to Families her. You really get the sense of the trouble and tormnt that the family is going through. Hortense has made a name for herself and Cythia his living in poverty- you can see the socail differances clearly there.

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    Leigh's direction is admirable in its restraint. He recognizes that he has a winning story and he gets performances from his actors, building up to the climax of the film without giving up any tension along the way.

    I loved the way the camera was placed in front of them in the restaurant. Not at one point did the camer move away from them. That way you see what is really troubling them and the emotions that they are feeling. Brilliant stuff. I love the layering of the story, the characterizations so unexpected. Such as the child abandoned at birth and put out for adoption being the most centred and focused of everyone. The drunken ex-owner of the business that Maurice bought bringing Maurice to a place of awareness that it could be him wandering around drunkenly, speaking of his past achievements.

    The flashes of mini-plots portrayed by the subjects of Maurice's photographic settings. The heart-breaking scene where Maurice's snobby wife reveals her secrets. The slowly developing warmth and comfort between Cynthia and Hortense.

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    Maurice?s photography clearly had some element of symbolism .He could get appropriate reactions from family members with obviously conflicting agendas and attitudes is representative of his abilities to steer the feelings of family members away from the harmful, hurtful reactions which they all wish to unleash on one another. He captures snapshots of groups as they wish to be captured. However, the mode in which they are photographed usually does not reflect their actual feelings at the time, and indeed may obscure peoples' true feelings about being there, in those circumstances, with those people

    Overall a brilliant,brilliant film which I hope everyone sees.

    Highly Recommended

View All Secrets & Lies Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Leigh's best work yet is indisputably screen art, but it's a flesh-and-blood 'people' movie, too.

Emanuel Levy
March 18, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

In the hands of another director, it would have been a sentimental melodrama, a soap opera, but with nuanced writing and sharp helming, Mike Leigh mixes humor and pathos in equal measure. Full Review

Cole Smithey
September 2, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Much more than just a touching story of the ties that bind humanity and the way we reveal ourselves, "Secrets and Lies" (1996) is a staggering work of cinematic genius. It is truly a perfect film. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
May 7, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's hard to argue against it being a sharply observant and deeply felt melodrama, one that is accessible, contemporary and frightingly realistic. Full Review

Michael Dequina
September 14, 2005
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Leigh's script and direction pushes all the right emotional buttons without getting overly melodramatic. Full Review

Leo Goldsmith
March 1, 2005
Leo Goldsmith, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Leigh's film stops short of catharsis, providing the potential for the characters' rebuilding of their relationships without suggesting that such projects are simple or immediate. Full Review

Eric Henderson
February 19, 2005
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Secrets & Lies is littered with scenes that begin at a fever pitch before descending into a becalmed, meditative state. Full Review

Judith Egerton
July 1, 2004
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

The characters are so painfully real it's more like watching a documentary than a made-up story. Full Review

Frank Ochieng
June 26, 2004
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye

An English mother-daughter racial melodrama that resonates with simplicity and insight. Leigh is considerate of his movie's identity and spirit just as much as demonstrates this with his wounded prota...

Norm Schrager
November 13, 2003
Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com

His characters look normal, act normal, chatter, and scream. And even when they choose not to speak, not to give away secrets, they're still heard. Full Review

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