Review of Secrets & Lies (1996) by Pascal V — 07 Feb 2011

4.0/4.0.

Mike Leigh is a great director and storyteller who has given audiences numerous brilliant and authentic portrayals of Great Britain and its society. "Secrets and Lies" is possibly his most widely acclaimed movie and thankfully it is no understatement. This is a great movie that is touching, humorous at times and discusses issues like family, adoption and social standard differential (especially across members of the same family). Leigh is known for the large amount of improvisation in his movies and this one is no exception. It works perfectly well here giving the movie a great sense of realism.

Brenda Blethyn is funny and heartbreaking in an excellent performance as Cynthia, a poor white working class mother of the rebellious Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) who works as a street cleaner. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste in a perfectly subdued role) is a black middle class optometrist. The movie opens at her adoptive mother's funeral and she is determined to find her real mother who turns out to be Cynthia. Meanwhile, we get a somewhat parallel story of Cynthia's brother Maurice (Timothy Spall), a photographer who has worked up the social ladder with some push from his sometimes difficult wife Monica (Phyllis Logan) but the seemingly perfect couple is having difficulty to conceive.

There are numerous brilliant scenes including the first meeting between mother and daughter - a brilliant long take cafeteria scene that is something to behold and a showcase of Blethyn's greatness. It all comes together in the movie's final scene - a birthday barbeque party for Roxanne at Maurice's house where Cynthia brings Hortense over as a friend. How the scene develops is as exciting as any good thrill ride (but here it is purely emotional). "Secrets and Lies" is as great as family dramas get - you will laugh, you will cry and you will feel invigorated in a way by its end. Nominated for 5 Oscars: Picture, Director, Actress (Blethyn), Supporting Actress (Jean-Baptiste), Original Screenplay. Winner of the Palm d'Or at Cannes as well as a Best Actress prize for Blethyn.