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Secrets & Lies (1996) 7.9
Ratings:
7.9/10 from 20,296 users
Metascore: 91/100
Reviews: 117 user | 57 critic | 27 from Metacritic.com Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, who denies it; emotions run high as everyone's secrets are exposed. Director:Mike LeighWriter:Mike Leigh |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Timothy Spall | ... | ||
| Phyllis Logan | ... |
Monica Purley
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| Brenda Blethyn | ... | ||
| Claire Rushbrook | ... | ||
| Marianne Jean-Baptiste | ... | ||
| Elizabeth Berrington | ... |
Jane
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Michele Austin | ... |
Dionne
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| Lee Ross | ... |
Paul
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| Lesley Manville | ... |
Social Worker
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| Ron Cook | ... |
Stuart
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Emma Amos | ... |
Girl with Scar
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Brian Bovell | ... |
Hortense's Brother
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Trevor Laird | ... |
Hortense's Brother
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Clare Perkins | ... |
Hortense's Sister-in-Law
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Elias Perkins McCook | ... |
Hortense's Nephew
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Cynthia lives in London with her sullen street-sweeper daughter. Her brother has been successful with his photographer's business and now lives nearby in a more upmarket house. But Cynthia hasn't even been invited round there after a year. So, all round, she feels rather lonely and isolated. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Hortense, adopted at birth but now grown up, starts to try and trace her mother. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
Taglines:
Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 October 1996 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Secretos y mentiras See more »Box Office
Budget:
$4,500,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
JPY 8,507,150 (Japan) (20 December 1996)Gross:
$13,417,292 (USA) (16 May 1997)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Words by Patty S. Hill & Mildred J. Hill (as Mildred Hill)
© Keith Prowse Music Pub Co. Ltd./EMI
Sung by the family at Hortense's birthday party
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Did You Know?
Trivia
To add a spontaneous effect to the performances, Mike Leigh met with each actor individually and only told them what their character would know at the beginning of the film. As filming progressed the actors were hearing the secrets for the very first time. Brenda Blethyn, for instance, didn't know that Marianne Jean-Baptiste was black. See more »Goofs
A statement of Hortense's suggests that her family comes from Barbados, and a stamp on a letter among her adoptive mother's papers is almost identifiable as Barbadian on my DVD, but when she puts on a West Indian accent in one scene, apparently imitating her mother, it sounds like broad Jamaican or generic "West Indian", certainly not Bajan, which is a very distinctive accent. See more »Soundtracks
"Happy Birthday to You"Words by Patty S. Hill & Mildred J. Hill (as Mildred Hill)
© Keith Prowse Music Pub Co. Ltd./EMI
Sung by the family at Hortense's birthday party
See more »
This is a lovely, small film with beautiful performances by Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It is filled with comical moments that balance out some of the heavier parts of the film. My heart went out to the two lead characters as they struggled to make sense of the mutual bond unearthed by Ms. Jean-Baptiste's character. At once confused, hurt, shocked and afraid, Ms. Blethyn is completely convincing in her role. I was moved by her decision to enter into a relationship with this woman whom she had never before met. Perhaps the fact that Ms. Blethyn and Ms. Jean-Baptiste had never been introduced prior to the scene in which their two characters meet added to the realism of that moment. And Ms. Jean-Baptiste's portrayal of a woman who is surprised by her discovery and not a little disappointed was dead-on, as is her dogged determination to get what she came after.
If you are searching for a movie brimming with action, special effects, and/or blockbuster stars you need to pass this over. But if you are in the mood for a film that offers winning performances and an entertaining storyline that grows out of human interaction, this is the one you're looking for! "Secrets & Lies" is a gem of a movie!