The Secret Life of Words (2005)

A hearing impaired factory worker gives up her first holiday in years and instead travels out to an oil rig, where she cares for a man suffering from severe burns.

Director:

Isabel Coixet

Writer:

Isabel Coixet

Stars:

Sarah Polley, Tim Robbins, Sverre Anker Ousdal

22 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Polley	...	Hanna
Tim Robbins	...	Josef
Sverre Anker Ousdal	...	Dimitri (as Sverre Ousdal)
Javier Cámara	...	Simon
Danny Cunningham	...	Scott
Dean Lennox Kelly	...	Liam (as Dean Lenox Kelly)
Daniel Mays	...	Martin
Emmanuel Idowu	...	Abdul
Eddie Marsan	...	Victor
Steven Mackintosh	...	Doctor Sulitzer
Julie Christie	...	Inge
Reg Wilson	...	Factory Manager
Leonor Watling	...	Josef's friend's wife
Daphne Brown	...	Old Lady on Bus
Muriel Hobson	...	Old Lady on Bus

Storyline

Hannah, who wears a hearing aid, is forced to go on holiday. On holiday she manages to find a job: caring for Josef, a burn victim on an oil rig who temporarily lost his sight, until he's stable enough to be transferred. There is almost no one on the rig, except a cook, an oceanographer and a few others out at sea. Hannah tends to Josef and he slowly breaks her shell of silence.

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Plot Keywords:

oil rig | holiday | burn | factory | burn victim | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Mongrel Media [ca] Official site [es]

Country:

Spain

Language:

English Danish

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (Spain)

Also Known As:

La vida secreta de las palabras

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,309 (USA) (15 December 2006)

Gross:

$20,023 (USA) (4 May 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Deseo S.A., Hotshot Films, Mediapro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The contact lenses damaged Tim Robbins' eyes. An ophthalmologist has required on set for a few days to supervise because Robbins refused to take them off.

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Goofs

When she arrives at the oil rig by helicopter, Hanna is not wearing a transit or immersion suit. Wearing this is obligatory when travelling to off-shore installations in the North Sea.

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Quotes

Simon: Hanna?
Hanna: What?
Simon: Nothing.
Simon: Hanna?
Hanna: What?
Simon: Nothing.

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Connections

Referenced in Mr. Nobody (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Forever Now and Then"
Written by Eef Barzelay
Performed by Clem Snide

User Reviews

What a wonderful movie

I have seen the movie and I have to say its just beautiful, no its not the slow, easy going romantic love story....it is difficult, critical and poetic. there is no action, its just about those 2 people, who are lonely, and experienced things in their lives nobody could imagine. this movie makes you think, think about your life, about your love about the world.

i can recommend it to everybody, who likes little quiet movies, which touch you go watch it, the 2 main actors are brilliant. sarah polley plays here role, with a heartbreaking truth, tim robbins (susan sarandons husband) does a great job as well.