Secret Smile (2005)

Admirable film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I found this quite gripping, the acting very good, the characters believable. Manipulative (here to the point of psychotic) people such as Brendan do exist, though, despite being a liar, rapist, and bully, he does not seem to have actually committed murder. In fact, though he is associated with other violent deaths(his parents', Troy, Laura's), it is implied that he only had a psychological hand in them. One perhaps weak point: he is sentenced to life with possibility of parole only after 22 years. The sentence may be unrealistic if only because, despite the incriminating key,Miranda's body was still not found. The basic credo is: no body, no murder. Also: one person commenting on this film may have mentioned Miranda's emigrating to Austalia using a false identity when, the dialog says, she was actually visiting there as a tourist

Miranda Cotton meets a guy; takes him home, bit of hanky-panky, they start to see each other. Just like any other relationship. But when she catches him reading her diary, she starts to get a bit worried, and asks him to leave.To her shock and terror, in a few months he has proposed to her sister.This piece really gripped me from start to finish. I curled up with a blanket and watched it - as a Doctor Who fan for many years, it's important to me that my Doctor is a good actor, and although I'd seen Tennant's acting before and loved it, I wanted to have a final test. I was certainly impressed. Secret Smile had a solid enough storyline that really terrified me in places, but it really was all down to the fabulous casting. Kate Ashfield (Miranda) had you on her side all the way through, conveying well what the emotions were - and Susannah Wise (Miranda's best friend, Laura) and her 'husband', James Daffern, despite having minor roles, impressed me beyond many of the other supporting cast.There was not a truly weak performance in the cast. If I had to pick a low point it would probably be Claire Goose, but I think that was just down to a bad character as opposed to the acting; the book's Kerry is considerably different, somehow, and I didn't find myself connecting with this one so powerfully.David Tennant was, however, the true highlight - he managed to convey Brendan's truly sadistic side with just a look - and yet still managed to have me feeling sorry for him when Miranda turned him away. 'That line' as it has become known - I won't write it, but suffice to say it's when he was thinking about her lips - was delivered with such a venom, that it physically made me shudder. A wonderful performance with immense presence. Also, kudos to Robert Lowe for a moving piece as Troy Cotton, even if his character was unbelievable.Altogether, 10/10 for acting, 7/10 for plot. Definitely worth a watch - I videoed it, and really enjoyed it.

Goodnight Mister Tom was brilliant, Footsteps in the Snow was a good biography, and this was another good ITV made-for-TV film. Basically Miranda Cotton (Kate Ashfield from Shaun of the Dead) one day meets a complete stranger and they have sex. After about ten days, she wants Brendan Block (Doctor Who's David Tennant) to leave. Then the next thing she knows, he's met and proposed to her sister, Kerry (Claire Goose). Soon after Brendan poisoning her life, Miranda's sister commits suicide when he believes that she doesn't care about him, says Brendan. Now worst of all, Brendan dumps Kerry for another woman, and now Miranda needs to warn her of what he's capable of. Then the unthinkable and horrible happens, he rapes Miranda. That then clinches it and Miranda and Kerry, oh, and the new girl, form a plan to put Brendan behind bars. This is the really good twist, that it looks like Miranda was dead, because of blood in bathroom and Brendan's fingerprints on her keys, but she was actually having a short holiday. Great idea! Anyway, this is a very good drama, the title obviously suggests his character. Very good!

I had the misfortune of missing the first part of this mini-drama. How foolish do I feel now? Incredibly. From what I have seen though, wow! Brief summary: woman dates man, woman dumps man, spurned lover tries to get his own back any way he can. I had previously seen David Tennant in Casanova and found him to have an irresistible charm.Tennant's television history as I know it was based in comedy and so I was intrigued to see him starring in a thriller.However, he did not fail to impress me in Secret Smile. His portrayal of a spurned lover hell bent on revenge was both captivating and chilling. One can see how charming he is but one constantly has to remind oneself about what he really is. The supporting cast are amazing. I did not think Claire Goose would be able to make the transition from soap acting in Casualty to such a serious drama. However, I was pleasantly surprised and her role showed how easily people can be controlled and manipulated. Furthermore, I admit I was not enamoured with Kate Ashfield until now. You were with her every step of the way, feeling her anger and frustration. It is not very often that such a suspenseful drama that actually holds you to your seat comes along. Television nowadays has become highly predictable but I am pleased to say that this was not. It was a superbly acted and directed piece. Best performance must go to Tennant. He was able to capture and exemplify how easy it is to dominate one person and how deep an impact that it can have.This is highly prevalent in a society where stalking and domestic violence remains taboo. I was afraid that Tennant would lose his edge with going to mainstream television, but if this is anything to go by, I had nothing to worry about.