SECRETS & LIES (1996)

Written & Directed By: Mike Leigh
Cinematography By: Dick Pope
Editor: Jon Gregory

Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall, Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook

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.

This film to me falls under the title of a chick flick. I am not usually a fan of leigh’s work as at times it feels like a chore to sit through some of his films. This one I had always been interested since I remember the hype around this film once it came out. I finally saw it around 2 years ago for the first time.

It’s a very emotional story, Very well acted. The films of Mike Leigh are so realistic, that at times feel like you are watching a documentary, more a docudrama. Though surprisingly dramatic there are plenty of comedic moments. That make it a little more lighthearted than one would expect while dealing with serious and dramatic scenes.

Mike Leigh’s methods are precise he usually gathers his chosen actors gives them characters to play. They rehearse and improve for a month in character. Then he goes off to write the script based on the Rehersals. Here 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. As Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Brenda Blethyn never met before the scene in which they meet in the film. Most of the script was improvised. Writer/director Mike Leigh told each of the actors what his/her part in the story was and they each developed their own characters.

One of my complaints is that we here about the daughters adoptive family, but never see them. Probably because they seem more stable then Blethyn’s. As we get to meet Blethyn’s Stable isn’t like brother and his emotionally unstable wife. We even get a glimpse of what could have been as we meet Blethyn’s downtrodden daughter she had later in life. It still would have been nice to see Jean-Baptiste’s families reaction to not only the decision, but the eventual relationship that develops.

Brenda Blythen did deserve and Oscar for her performance in this film. Especially for the scene of her realization that the woman played by Marianne jean-baptiste really is her daughter, but I’m not going to lie. Blethyn’s character is very annoying with her never ending refrain of “honey and sweethearts” which puncture almost every sentence and her constant crying at the drop of a hat, but for all the praise put on her. The true star of the film is character actor Timothy Spall. Not only is this the first film I have ever seen him with the biggest role I have ever seen him in. He is gracious and not showy. Every scene he is Feels like a gift especially the scene where he has a reunion with his old boss. While it may seem unnecessary to the plot. It defines the character and I see it more as an added bonus.

The film is entirely too long, there are a handful of scenes to really love, but you have to sit through the rest to really appreciate them. I didn’t really get into any scenes until almost an hour into the movie. It’s the nuances that I really appreciate.

This film is not for everybody even me. Truthfully this is not a film I would watch more than one  more time, but I feel a little happy having watched it.

Maybe the films of Mike Leigh have been built up so much to me that I assume they are supposed to be good. So nothing in them surprises me. The acting always is excellent and emotional mostly conversational scenes. While the action is more revealed by expressions and dialogue. Not so much visual imagery, but they all manage to make a point and introduce us to the working class eccentrics, but normal people they don’t save the world or anything like that. They just live and react to it and the circumstances. Not with great wit, but plenty of passion.

GRADE: B