Cinafilm has over 5 million movie reviews and counting …
Sitemap
Search

Last updated: 08 Jul 2026 at 09:47 UTC

Back to movie details

Review of by Bruno C — 03 Apr 2012

Share
Tweet

Sarah Polley is a revelation as Hanna Amiran, a Yugoslavian war victim. This movie is filled with sounds that are beautiful. The visuals are there but never as key and in fact sometimes even puzzling- the places are always a bit off-kilter.

But the sounds - oh the sounds. The factory scene in the beginning has a musical din. The soundtrack has lovely performers- including the inimitable Tom Waits. The karaoke singing is lusty and vibrant.

The voices all have different accents and inflections. The movie is about sounds and the layers of stories revealed by them. However the sound of the little girl's voice which is the narrator at the start never quiet gels completely into the story and is left hanging as a mystery.

To me a bit of a false note.

This review of The Secret Life of Words (2005) was written by on 03 Apr 2012.

The Secret Life of Words has generally received very positive reviews.

Was this review helpful?

Yes
No

More Reviews of The Secret Life of Words

More reviews of this movie

Reviews of Similar Movies

More Reviews

Share This Page

Share
Tweet

Popular Movies Right Now

Movies You Viewed Recently

Get social with CinafilmFollow us for reviews of the latest moviesCinafilm - TwitterCinafilm - PinterestCinafilm - RSS