Secret Things (2004)

The Age of Commercialism

Crappy film

A Disappointing Continuation

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is indeed twisted as another reviewer suggest. Right from the start there is something different. And I'm not talking about the staging of the first scene (which gets you in the mood for the rest of it, with its deception, although you will be able to see through it). I'm talking about a quiet figure in the background. More about that later, because the film does focus on one specific character who's also kind of narrating the whole thing.And while narrating might not be the best way to go, developing the story that is, it fulfills its purpose here. The young woman in question and a friend, will have quite a ride, with some nude and sexual scenes along the way. And while the drama is the focus point of it all, it does deal with where women stand in society and how they might be able to improve. Don't expect it to be too philosophical though (I personally would have liked that), but it does have an interesting personal story to tell ... with some extra flavor that it

Do you like well made movies with good acting and cinematography? Do you like trashy exploitation? If you answered yes to both of these questions then this is the movie for you. Some people are frustrated that someone would dare bring a story that belongs in a lurid paperback to screen with the former qualities, calling it cheap erotica with art-house pretensions. This is not true. "Secret Things" never overplays its hand and never asks to be taken as anything but what it is. It does not achieve things that a film like "Last Tango in Paris" does, but it doesn't try to (a good thing, given that it lacks Marlon Brando...). Instead, it tells a lurid story of manipulation and social climbing that is both quiet and operatic, sexy and repulsive. There's naked bodies present and food for thought if one is interested. A very well-made movie.

One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Not for the conservative minded or squeamish, from beginning to end there is little more than sex. But that's integral to the plot. This is a movie that showcases the violence and the decay that is just under the surface of respectable society. It's about two strong characters who begin down the road to a tragedy of their own making. It questions morality, it pushes the limits, it steps over 'that thin line', and it takes us over the line with it. It is human weakness, irrationality, and most of all, obsession, on film. The acting, both in and out of the "bedroom" was excellent. It is sometimes hard to follow, especially with the subtitles, but that only makes watching it a second time more worth it. I've never seen it on sale or for rent in a store, but if you have an online DVD rental service, then you'll have no problem getting a hold of it.

You gotta love the French. They may not know how to get rid of megalomaniac dictators (Hitler, Hussein), and few people outside the borders of La Republique would invest their hard-earned cash in a French automobile. But when it comes to sex-tinged business scandals, like the ELF `whore of the republic' saga, the French make the boys at Enron seem like virginal choirboys. And, oh yes, the French do know how to make a `thinking man's' erotic movie, as `Choses Secretes' (in French, with English subtitles) proves. And their wine and cheese isn't half bad, either.For those in the mood for a thoroughly adult (i.e. aimed at mature audiences) film, that probes the dark side of human behavior and features plenty of beautiful women behaving naughtily, `Choses Secretes' does not disappoint. In the film, two young women, one already experienced in using her body for fun and profit, find quality jobs hard to come by in present-day Paris, so they decide to try the time-honored method of sexually manipulating men in order to rise to the top (at one point in the film, one of the minor characters mentions Madonna, who is accused of having done exactly this in the music business). This requires them to put their human feelings of love, friendship, kindness, loyalty, and decency on hold, which ends up being a huge struggle for them. However, one person in the film, the CEO of the company they go to work for, who is due to inherit the firm from his aging father, apparently has mastered the emotional distance required to be a truly manipulative, evil powermonger (`Choses Secretes' was filmed in 2002, and the revelations that came out in 2003 about Saddam Hussein's sons are chillingly close to this character). So, `Choses Secretes' does have a significant story to tell.The film is well cast, and the three leads all give strong performances. From the moment we meet the two female leads, it is obvious from the looks in their faces that one of them is the more experienced, who will slowly lead the other into debauchery. The scenes by which the two women learn to use and enjoy their bodies are amusing, as are the portrayals of life in a Parisian office. The final third of the movie, however, is appropriately dark and sinister, and there is a sub-theme of incest that may bother some viewers (I had to remind myself that, after all, it is only a movie). Prudes, however, will have exited the theatre long before this sub-theme is reached. But those in the mood for an adult French cinematic experience containing both eye candy and food for thought won't be disappointed.