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Secrets & Lies

Secrets & Lies

1996
Drama
2h 16m
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. (imdb)

Directed by:

Mike Leigh

Screenwriter:

Mike Leigh

Starring:

Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Brenda Blethyn, Claire Rushbrook, Lee Ross, Ron Cook, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth Berrington, Michele Austin, Jonny Coyne, Frances Ruffelle

Genre:

Drama

AKA:

Secrets and Lies

Countries:

France, UK

Language:

English
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Secrets & Lies

1996
Drama
2h 16m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 75.34% from 1463 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 18 Aug 2011
98
99th
At first it seems like a fairly routine family drama, but as these characters work their way under your skin, they develop rich complexities and rewarding relationships. The results are intensely moving, and I'm not ashamed to admit that by the end I was a blubbering wreck. Not a note of it seems phony, contrived or forced. The cast is brilliant across the board. A warm, touching, magnificent look at family, the barriers that keep them apart, and the roles and disguises we maintain.
Rated 18 Aug 2011
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 22 Oct 2009
93
98th
Holy shit, awkwardness galore! It's truly amazing to watch as these various lives cross paths, headed for the inevitable clash as it slowly becomes clear how all the stories fit together. The acting is superb and the direction has some inspired moments that really capture the human aspects of these situations. A wonderful ending as well, there's little to criticize beyond the emotional toll it can take to watch it, but even that is deftly tempered by some lighter moments.
Rated 22 Oct 2009
philipPhilip
Rated 17 Jan 2008
65
42nd
Very, very british. This means amazing dialoge and acting, and terrible lighting and camerawork.
Rated 17 Jan 2008
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 26 Feb 2019
94
95th
Burgers & fries
Rated 26 Feb 2019
kasperlKasperL
Rated 20 Dec 2011
85
94th
Superb. The performances are great, Blethyn and Spall being the cream of the crop. Leigh's preproduction method ensures maximum believability. Only nitpick would be an ending that seemed maybe a little too clean for real life, especially for these characters.
Rated 20 Dec 2011
lakefxdanlakefxdan
Rated 28 Dec 2009
90
81st
Devastating and intense family drama in working-class Britain, with characters constantly confronted with things outside their experience. The ways they react are the meat of the film.
Rated 28 Dec 2009
isobelmoonIsobelmoon
Rated 28 Dec 2008
75
74th
The past always comes back to remind us nothing stays buried forever.
Rated 28 Dec 2008
dorkovskyDorkovsky
Rated 05 Nov 2008
10
99th
Even better than Naked in my opinion. While they both share similar qualities, like running the gamut of all the basic human emotions, this one actually paints all of it's characters in a sympathetic light which in turn just increases the emotional resonance.
Rated 05 Nov 2008
sproostsproost
Rated 17 Mar 2023
75
79th
Another winner by Leigh who succeeds in creating characters and catchphrases that will stick in my mind for days, sometimes forever (Enra-ha!, anything from Naked). Brenda Blethyn is a HOOT in here, perfectly suited for doing endless impressions of. It's bordering farcical sometimes, which i feared, but it stays well clear of that by exhibiting great insight in its characters and their motivations. Timothy Spall is lovely, i feel weirdly proud to have "met" him through watching this movie
Rated 17 Mar 2023
feraudFeraud
Rated 08 Jul 2015
69
49th
Not as good as it could be but still touching/inspiring here and there.
Rated 08 Jul 2015
balseirosbalseiros
Rated 25 May 2014
93
95th
Every character, hiding their anguish from each other, building relations as a house of cards and, at a given moment, leaving passivity back and going for confrontation had a major impact on me. When Maurice can't take it anymore and just says everything he has always kept for himself I felt myself contemplating one of the greatest moments I've ever seen in film.
Rated 25 May 2014
wezzoWezzo
Rated 26 Jul 2012
90
79th
Another brilliant Mike Leigh film. Some wonderful directorial choices here; the two multiple-minute-long shots are impeccable. Blethyn and Jean-Baptiste become their characters.
Rated 26 Jul 2012
sebbysebby
Rated 16 May 2011
75
84th
Thankfully, there's enough humor to balance out the heavy subject matter. Brenda Blethyn is annoyingly hysterical, but at the same time she's still immensely watchable. One of Leigh's best.
Rated 16 May 2011
joojooJooJoo
Rated 21 Mar 2010
6
95th
Way too neat and tidy in its conclusion - otherwise, this is perfection. It's become immediately apparent that I need to see everything from Leigh.
Rated 21 Mar 2010
danilolopesDanilolopes
Rated 25 Jan 2009
92
85th
Very solid argument about such an complex theme. Leigh knows really well how to use his directing trademarks to make a point.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
parcalihamparcaliham
Rated 30 Jun 2008
85
77th
27 Haziran 08 & aile iliskilerini anlatan, diyologlarin basarisi ve muzik kullanimi ile hafizama kazinmis olan, unutulmasi guc bir film.Brenda Blethyn'in oyunculugu filmi tasimakta.
Rated 30 Jun 2008
rihreyrihrey
Rated 16 Nov 2024
76
97th
Masterfully written, staggering performances. Every line feels real.
Rated 16 Nov 2024
yorgoyorgo
Rated 24 Sep 2024
100
97th
Another "smashing" film from Mike Leigh! The barbecue and dinner scenes were incredibly intense. Brenda Blethyn delivers one of the best performances I've ever seen. Genuine, raw, heartbreaking, yet also entertaining. An absolute masterpiece!
Rated 24 Sep 2024
le_mamile mami
Rated 07 Aug 2024
75
74th
Secrets&Lies produces complex emotions through intense conversations and theatrical structure. I wonder if it's an easy way out to tell the story. But, paying attention to all characters in some sense and exploring everyone’s struggles without losing the essence of the film is very hard. Maybe these two cover each other. I really liked that when looking at the concept of family, it does not draw sharp boundaries between good and bad; instead looks into (in)explicable causes of the secrets&lies.
Rated 07 Aug 2024
feublofeublo
Rated 29 Feb 2024
85
74th
Gets feisty and brutally honest, almost unbearable yet drives the point home.
Rated 29 Feb 2024
rapmastergrapmasterg
Rated 30 Oct 2023
80
82nd
A little slow, but everything else fits together well.
Rated 30 Oct 2023
robbytrobbyt
Rated 15 Jun 2023
94
81st
One of Mike Leigh's best
Rated 15 Jun 2023
guyevertonguyeverton
Rated 28 May 2023
85
73rd
Brilliant, and extremely moving at the end... falls down simply for certain aspects being a little too incredible.
Rated 28 May 2023
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 25 Jan 2023
85
85th
This is my favorite Leigh I've seen so far. Very raw, feels very real, with some of the most uncomfortable scenes you'll ever see. The tea shop scene, an unbroken tape with unbelievable acting, especially, is cringingly awkward, but in the way where you just can't look away, and then the family scenes later might even beat it. All of the acting is great, but Blethyn in particular is just out of this world as a mess of a woman with a mess of a life who is nonetheless fairly likable.
Rated 25 Jan 2023
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 17 Jan 2022
4
55th
the most self-conscious and calculated (dare i say award-baity) of leigh's '90s pictures and therefore the worst by a substantial margin (nb. yet to see TOPSY-TURVY), but he performs his usual wizardry in humanising an intolerable blethyn, and you'll never hear me slandering the great man.
Rated 17 Jan 2022
gnalkhereGnalkhere
Rated 19 Dec 2021
90
91st
This film has the same colour scheme as Peter Rabbit's (coloured) illustrations.
Rated 19 Dec 2021
darrenDarren
Rated 24 Nov 2021
74
63rd
I wouldn’t put it in Leigh’s upper tier but it’s still quite good. He really knows how to suck you into the world his characters inhabit. He has a terrific amount of love for working class people and the personal and communal struggles we all have. The way this builds and builds and crescendos with the literal name of the movie could be so corny if it wasn’t perfectly earned.
Rated 24 Nov 2021
tpbradburytpbradbury
Rated 07 Nov 2021
91
95th
Really good, great barbecue seen. You always need good writing, but here you need great acting and it's there
Rated 07 Nov 2021
deaddillydeaddilly
Rated 28 Oct 2021
85
84th
As clear and honest a film about pain and collective isolation as there is. I still prefer the more curious and violent philosophical tirades of "Naked" but it is clear from both films that Leigh simply understands the human condition in all of its mess.
Rated 28 Oct 2021
psimpsim
Rated 21 Jun 2021
79
69th
For the most part, this was very well-acted and it unfolded in an interesting and sometimes unexpected fashion, but some of the working-class characters feel more like caricatures than actual human beings and it kept me from becoming fully invested in their stories.
Rated 21 Jun 2021
toddsaltertoddsalter
Rated 03 Mar 2021
90
70th
Great story, definitely tugs at your heartstrings and feels like something that could happen in real life. Would have rated it higher but the Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) character was just too grating and overdone for me. The Maurice and Hortense characters were absolutely brilliant.
Rated 03 Mar 2021
slugslug
Rated 18 Feb 2021
8
72nd
That scene at the table.
Rated 18 Feb 2021
cowmanCowman
Rated 14 Aug 2020
75
75th
Wonderful performances and dialogue. Had a few good laughs and almost continuous chuckling. It drags a bit here and there, some scenes could have been cut a bit shorter.
Rated 14 Aug 2020
wwallce4prezWWallce4prez
Rated 04 Jul 2020
85
87th
Mike Leigh's richly drawn characters are at their peak in a film that is melodramatic without being phony. As heightened as several of the scenes are, the trials and tribulations of this family ring genuine. Beautifully acted.
Rated 04 Jul 2020
ceekay19Ceekay19
Rated 06 Feb 2020
70
54th
Maurice: "Secrets and lies! We're all in pain! Why can't we share our pain? I've spent my entire life trying to make people happy, and the three people I love the most in the world hate each other's guts, and I'm in the middle! I can't take it anymore!"
Rated 06 Feb 2020
jpotiijpotII
Rated 03 Feb 2020
86
90th
Gêmeos
Rated 03 Feb 2020
mandymandy
Rated 11 Feb 2018
8
92nd
Great at the time but just looks brilliant now as it really captured the 1990's. the themes are universal and timeless and still resonate.
Rated 11 Feb 2018
mike365365mike365365
Rated 07 Mar 2017
78
88th
The performances are worthy of the oscars.
Rated 07 Mar 2017
blakeengelBlakeEngel
Rated 30 Jan 2017
8
42nd
The best scenes in S&L are the ones that play out like long plays - first meeting between Cynthia and Hortense, Roxanne's climactic birthday party. Sprinkled throughout are either great sequences, like Lesley Manville as the case worker and Maurice's former colleague Stuart. The rest dragged at points, reiterating information and emotions we'd already experienced. A beautiful Leigh film, at times transcendent.
Rated 30 Jan 2017
pukazapukaza
Rated 11 May 2016
80
60th
Unique movie. The acting, and the mood is just great. The script goes from comedy to drama just so smoothly. You can love it or not, but you must admit you've never seen a movie like this before...
Rated 11 May 2016
lenaclena_c
Rated 12 Dec 2015
4
72nd
I did a school report once (almost 20 years ago) about this movie. I remember it as *Good :-) Who knows if I watch it again...
Rated 12 Dec 2015
ella_mayElla May
Rated 07 Dec 2015
65
32nd
Interesting but I don't think I'd watch it again or recommend it to anyone.
Rated 07 Dec 2015
etc&etc.
Rated 02 Sep 2015
94
88th
Heartbreaking and uplifting, Secrets & Lies is a melodrama filled with conflicting emotions. Dialogue is so good, only heightened by a tour-de-force performance by Blethyn.
Rated 02 Sep 2015
staryarabbistaryarabbi
Rated 28 Oct 2014
60
39th
nothing more than a realist attitude mixed with intense family drama which can be found in every decent tv series today, overrated
Rated 28 Oct 2014
rufamRufam
Rated 18 Jan 2014
90
97th
One of the most overwhelmingly emotional films. Astounding performances (by pretty much everyone but especially by a luminous Blethyn) and astounding attention to realism, it all comes together as perhaps the culminant Mike Leigh achievement, a fully convincing and sentimentally shattering examination of family ties, blossoming with tenderness and humanity.
Rated 18 Jan 2014
damildamil
Rated 10 May 2013
75
81st
I liked this a lot. It felt very realistic, which was good, even if I found it painful at times. Some of the characters are so awful, I found it a little hard to watch. The performances are great all around though, with Brenda Blethyn giving a particularly brilliant one. Some of the dialogue wasn't so good. I think it might have actually been better as a mini-series, as I felt there were aspects that weren't as explored as they could have been.
Rated 10 May 2013
nepetaNepeta
Rated 17 Jan 2013
95
96th
Emotionally exhilirating. The whole thing is just riveting in its awkwardness, its realism, its deft mix of humour and emotion (the former complimenting the latter making it feel more sincere, truthful and effective), its sheer level of compassion for these characters, the intelligent look at its subject matter (which includes, but is not limited to, adoption, parenting, the class divide, race and family). Terrific stuff. "Secrets and lies! We're all in pain! Why can't we share our pain?"
Rated 17 Jan 2013
tavingtonTavington
Rated 06 Dec 2012
4
88th
Hardcore family drama.
Rated 06 Dec 2012
teckgeckoteckgecko
Rated 17 Jan 2012
85
96th
don't remember well, could be anywhere from 80 - 90, so just went with RT average rating.
Rated 17 Jan 2012
johnsandwichJohnSandwich
Rated 02 Jan 2012
75
74th
It's good but I didn't really connect with it like I'd hoped.
Rated 02 Jan 2012
naurunauru
Rated 18 Dec 2011
77
87th
A well-acted film. However the ending was a disappointment. It was also very convenient to have the rather young main character's parents already deceased, allowing the writer to entirely avoid the dynamic between the natural family and the adoptive family. The omission of any information about the father was also unconvincing, since I doubt the adopted woman would stop asking about her father until she got the truth. Despite all this it's an impressive film.
Rated 18 Dec 2011
cat9mancat9man
Rated 14 Nov 2011
52
12th
Could have been easily named "Teary and Weary"
Rated 14 Nov 2011
calexicoCalexico
Rated 24 Jun 2011
80
66th
Powerful characters and performances. A perfect rainy day movie.
Rated 24 Jun 2011
hezarfenHezarfen
Rated 18 Apr 2011
50
23rd
Can't believe this got the palm d'Or. The reason it did is that it is actually secretly about film itself. A few good ideas, but so what, a film should have a few good ideas.
Rated 18 Apr 2011
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 18 Oct 2010
30
78th
"Secrets & Lies is littered with scenes that begin at a fever pitch before descending into a becalmed, meditative state." - Eric Henderson
Rated 18 Oct 2010
neonmanNeonman
Rated 18 Oct 2010
94
97th
Such a well done film, it brings a smile to my face, even as grim and awkward as it gets.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
therubettestherubettes
Rated 27 Jan 2010
75
82nd
Brenda Blethyn was simply perfect, great film.
Rated 27 Jan 2010
kahKAH
Rated 18 Jun 2009
4
93rd
Nobody does socio-realism better than Leigh. Great acting, some really impressive long takes.
Rated 18 Jun 2009
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 30 Apr 2009
54
56th
Failed To Make Me Feel But You Can Watch
Rated 30 Apr 2009
bethelysabethelysa
Rated 23 Oct 2008
80
71st
Incredibly strong acting, touching and real -- with some great twists.
Rated 23 Oct 2008
3names3Names
Rated 23 Oct 2008
91
83rd
This was my first Mike Leigh film, and from what I understand, the most accessible and "mainstream"... Great as a Mike Leigh "starter" film. Try it. You'll want to see more of his stuff...
Rated 23 Oct 2008
cestmoicestmoi
Rated 18 May 2008
50
26th
Made me want to see more of Brenda Blethyn, but I'm not generally a Mike Leigh fan.
Rated 18 May 2008
chrisaugustchrisaugust
Rated 22 Mar 2008
23
1st
If they'd have called it "British Women Crying for Three and a Half Hours", maybe even fewer people would have bothered seeing it.
Rated 22 Mar 2008
sadsappSadSapp
Rated 12 Dec 2007
100
92nd
Brenda Blethyn is phenomenal in this.
Rated 12 Dec 2007
icarusIcarus
Rated 20 Oct 2007
90
89th
Both heartbreaking and cathartic, the film's strengths lie in the writing, the performances, and the capable direction from Leigh. The long two shot in the diner fits the material beautifully and allows the actors to develop the emotional ground between them through their physicality.The idea of the film is also right on: secrets & lies weigh us down. They make life harder than it needs to be. To be truthful means to be dependent on others, something that seems no easier today than it did in '96
Rated 20 Oct 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 21 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Good film.
Rated 21 Feb 2007
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 14 Feb 2007
94
93rd
Segredos e Mentiras estreava há 25 anos no Festival de Cannes. Quando vi esse filme quando foi lançado não dei muita bola, mas eu era adolescente e não sabia nada da vida e nem de cinema, sabendo agora uma coisa ou duas sobre os mesmos percebe-se que isso aqui é um milagre da criação, tanto que deu até saudade daqueles insuportáveis almoços familiares de domingo que cessaram quando meio Brasil virou fascista. BlurayRip no MakingOff.
Rated 14 Feb 2007

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