A Secret (2007)

A 15-year-old boy unearths a shocking family secret.

Director:

Claude Miller

Writers:

Claude Miller (scenario, adaptation and dialogue), Natalie Carter (scenario, adaptation and dialogue)

Stars:

Cécile de France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier

4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cécile de France	...	Tania Stirn / Grimbert (as Cécile De France)
Patrick Bruel	...	Maxime Nathan Grinberg / Grimbert
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Hannah Golda Stirn / Grinberg
Julie Depardieu	...	Louise
Mathieu Amalric	...	François Grimbert à 37 ans
Nathalie Boutefeu	...	Esther
Yves Verhoeven	...	Georges
Yves Jacques	...	Commandant Béraud
Sam Garbarski	...	Joseph
Orlando Nicoletti	...	Simon Grinberg à 7 ans
Robert Plagnol	...	Robert Stirn
Valentin Vigourt	...	François Grimbert à 7 ans
Quentin Dubuis	...	François Grimbert à 14 ans
Chantal Banlier	...	Maria
Myriam Fuks	...	Mère Hannah

Storyline

In 1953, a sensitive French boy finds out from a neighbor that his family's Jewish. François Grimbert becomes a physician, and gradually peels the layers of his buried family history which resulted in his difficult upbringing, raised as Catholic by his "Aryan" appearing parents. His athletic father labored to stamp out stereotypical Jewish characteristics he perceived in his son, to keep the family's many secrets, as most relatives fought in World War II, and later were hauled off to labor and death camps by the Gestapo. Based on a true story.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | family secret | auschwitz | sex in bed | voyeur | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

UGC Distribution [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French Yiddish German Hebrew

Release Date:

3 October 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

A Secret

Filming Locations:

Felletin, Creuse, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$37,135, 7 September 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$623,415, 3 May 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, France 3 Cinéma, Région Ile-de-France

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eva Green was considered for the role of Tania and Pascal Elbé for the role of Maxime.

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Connections

Features Triumph of the Will (1935)

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Soundtracks

Java Bien
Written by Eric Gemsa and Marc Fosset
Editions Kosimus / Kapagama

User Reviews

Not really a secret

Since the structure of the movie, works with many flashbacks, there is not a big surprise in the end. The acting is more than decent (even I recognize many french actors and I'm not really familiar with most of them) and the story deserves to be told. Although I'm not sure, if it really is based on a true story, it's still a gripping story ... unfortunately, this movie does underscore many things. And while sometimes it might work out to underplay a few things, it doesn't work in the favor of the movie ...

I watched it with another person and he kind of despised the movie. He thought the theme was nice, but was unhappy with the handling of that subject matter. I do agree with him to some degree, but I think it would be unfair to the actors and the (overall) story to give it a lesser rating ...