Review of Separate Lies (2005) by Walter M — 02 Dec 2006

A quiet indie drama starring Tom Wilkinson, Sepearte Lies takes almost a noirish approach to the topic of upper-class English infidelity.

James Manning (Wilkinson( discovers after years of happy marriage to Anne (Emily Watson), that she has been having a private affair behing his back. He actually discovers this by accident; a by-product of prying into a local hit-and-run accident. With a subtlye approach, Wilkinson expresses his character's dark curiosity in both the accident (?) and said affair. In this regard, his status is shown up for what it really is: a social formality that means nothing to his position as a male.

This can make the film disappointing to some, as James is walked on by his wife (and nearly everyone else) in spite of him being the jilted lover, and never really does anything about it. Though this does ably illustrate the complexity of maturity, it also serves to make the film unsatisfying, as James starts a doormat and stays so.

Excellent performances scuppered somewhat by an inconclusive script.