Separate Lies (2005)

A couple's marriage is complicated by the introduction of a third party.

Director:

Julian Fellowes

Writers:

Nigel Balchin (based on the novel by "A Way Through the Wood"), Julian Fellowes

Stars:

Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Hermione Norris

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Wilkinson	...	James Manning
Emily Watson	...	Anne Manning
Hermione Norris	...	Priscilla
John Warnaby	...	Simon
Rupert Everett	...	Bill Bule
Richenda Carey	...	Sarah Tufnell
Linda Bassett	...	Maggie
Christine Lohr	...	Nurse
Alice O'Connell	...	Maggie's Daughter
John Neville	...	Lord Rawston
Peregrine Kitchener-Fellowes	...	Bill's Son Charles
Henry Drake	...	Bill's Son Freddy
David Harewood	...	Inspector Marshall
Sabine Tourtellier	...	Receptionist
Philip Rham	...	French Lawyer

Storyline

A cyclist is killed, swiped by a Range Rover in a village lane. James and Anne Manning become involved because the victim is the husband of their cleaner, Maggie. James, a solicitor in the city, soon comes to suspect William Bule, a millionaire playboy who has moved back to the village. William, pressed by James, confesses to the hit and run. But the confession is clouded by Anne's admission of her affair with William.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | solicitor | confession | paris france | forgiveness | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [fr] Fox Searchlight [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 November 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

Laberinto de mentiras

Filming Locations:

Chicheley Hall, Chicheley, Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$120,237 (Australia) (26 May 2006)

Gross:

$329,642 (Australia) (2 June 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Celador Films, DNA Films, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last full length cinema film of John Neville.

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Goofs

The movie Wilkinson is telling Watson about, with James Mason as a German spy, is apparently "Five Fingers', but he refers to it as a 1954 film. The Joseph Mankiewicz thriller was released in 1952.

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Quotes

James Manning: Oh, fuck Bill!
Anne Manning: That's the thing really. I mean I do fuck Bill. Or rather he fucks me.

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Connections

References ER (1994)

User Reviews

Double standards that are never discussed

I wish there were more films about middle aged people. The intellectual journey and the twists and turns of life's moral highway make interesting viewing. There seems to be a different standard of judgement on women who have extra marital affairs than on men. Amy Watson's hurtful and humiliating behaviour towards her husband seems to pass without comment. Reverse the roles and one could expect a torrent of condemnation towards the man. If she found her husband boring and judgmental she could could have told him so, left and waited for a no doubt large financial settlement upon divorce. The country and London scenes are wonderfully authentic and rich while the autumnal weather adds to the melancholy background superbly. The ending is perfect, so in tune with real adult life.