Secrets & Lies (1996)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It's difficult not to be overwhelmed by the emotional upheaval of a character like Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) throughout the story. There aren't many moments when she's in a rational state of calm, instead she's reacting hysterically to all the dysfunctional family theatrics surrounding her. One has to admit though, learning that she's the white mother of a black daughter can be somewhat unnerving once it's ultimately revealed. The story took a step in the direction of how something like that could be but dropped the ball without clarifying the point. As the viewer we don't know and can only speculate. Whether Cynthia carried on with a black man after (other) daughter Roxanne's (Claire Rushbrook) absent father hit the road, or if she was assaulted and raped, one must come to your own conclusion. The shocking realization in Cynthia's mind is not made aware to the viewer.It might have helped the story if any of the principal players had an appealing look and personality, but then again, when dealing with real life, this is what one often winds up with. I had a tendency to keep my eye on background characters like Jane (Elizabeth Berrington) and Paul (Lee Ross) when things reached critical mass, and they wound up simply there with virtually no visual response. Personally, I would have been mortified and looking for a quick exit. The scene with Stuart (Ron Cook) seems rather odd now in retrospect since it didn't connect with anything else going on, except perhaps to convey class differences in the midst of a story dealing with a potential racial issue. When all was said and done, it appeared that the family dynamic resolved itself rather quickly, which for the sake of the film was necessary but hardly seemed realistic. It's difficult to imagine the trauma induced by suddenly becoming a bi-racial family would have been alleviated in such a short time span, but at least it ended with everyone still breathing. I'd be on the fence on recommending this one because it's not comfortable to watch, and if one is in a mood for entertainment, this will take you in a different direction.

Slowly I am becoming a big fan of Mike Leigh and his kind of film making. I like his style. I have a read a few interviews of his and the way we deals with his actors and executes his scenes and narration is a kind of new school of thought for me. Secrets and Lies was one of the highly recommended movies of Mike Leigh, and it became pertinent for me to watch it. It is story of Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) – a successful optometrist - who after her adopted mother dies, traces her birth- mother Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) a working class lady living with her frustrated daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) a street cleaner. Slowly Hortense and Cynthia open up and build a LOVE-bond of mother- daughter which brings a new lease of life to Cynthia's mundane and problematic existence. When Cynthia invites Hortense to Roxanne's birthday party held at Cynthia's brother Maurice's (Timothy Spall) residence – the secrets are revealed of who is Hortense? Who was the father of Roxanne? Who was the father of Hortense? Why Maurice is still not having children? The last half an hour is a roller coaster ride of tension and tear- jerking emotions. But all ends up well in the end. Secrets penetrate and each character empathizes with the other to live happily thereafter.That is the strength of a good optimist positive director Mike Leigh that reflects a belief in good human nature and their goodness. The acting of Brenda Blethyn as Cynthia is immaculate. She lives the traumatized hysterical yet endearing character to the hilt. Kudos to her! The other performance that stands out is of Timothy Spall as Maurice, whose character plays a nice binding force in the family.There is an unnecessary sub-plot of Maurice at his photo-studio – which could have had been over-looked. What I like about director Mike Leigh is that he lets his characters flow naturally and takes their own life. Shows a lot of his theatre style where actresses are given freedom to improvise on the spot. Secrets and Lies is for those who enjoy family movies that highlight good human relationships.I would rate the movie 7.5 out of 10.

When I decided to watch Secrets and lies directed by Mike Leigh, I didn't know what to expect because I had never seen a Mike Leigh's movie before Secrets and Lies. It was a really good surprise! I really like the plot of the story, it is not a blockbuster and I understand why some people don't like this movie but Secrets and Lies shows our life and it is interesting. I met Timothy Spall, one of the actors, he played Maurice and he told me that Mike Leigh doesn't write any scripts so he had to improvise. I can tell you actors are really talented.The movie balances with some really sad moments and some really funny ones.But Secrets and Lies is not perfect! The character of Cynthia is really irritating mostly because of her voice who is really high- pitched. And sometimes the movie is really slow-moving and the movie is a little bit too long. I think that if you like super heroes movies or blockbusters, don't watch the movie but if you like realistic and poetic movies go!

In my humble opinion,I must say that this film is extraordinary. It has been directed by Mike Leigh, one of the most famous directors in the UK and in he world and with a quality cast. Actors like Timothy Spall who was awarded the gold palm for the best male actor in the Cannes film festival; by the way this film was awarded the gold palm too. I have seen this film a bunch of times and it still provides me the same emotions than the first time I saw it. The plot is perfect, the two sides of the story are developed in parallel. In an interview Mike Leigh said that in this film he wanted to put the "ordinary" things of life;like the difficult relationships in a family, the question of having babies or nor, adoption, etc... I must speak of my meeting with Timothy Spall, a few years ago, I was with the same friends and he answered our questions in a very friendly way. He said that in all the films he played under Mike Leigh's direction, actors must improvise and it is quite difficult because in one scene they had to spend hours and hours doing the same things again. He gave us a few tips and one impressed me:''If you first want to be an actor, you won't manage, you must head to be an actor to manage to become an actor'', it's not exactly what he said but it's something like that and it was said with emotion...it was fantastic! If you haven't seen this film yet, you must see it because in the future it will be a classic, it's sensitive but funny at times, it's perfect.