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In Secret (film)

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For the Australian thoroughbred race horse, see In Secret (horse).

In Secret
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharlie Stratton
Written byCharlie Stratton
Based onThérèse Raquin
by Émile Zola
Produced byMickey Liddell
Pete Shilaimon
William Horberg
StarringElizabeth Olsen
Tom Felton
Oscar Isaac
Jessica Lange
CinematographyFlorian Hoffmeister
Edited byCelia Haining
Leslie Jones
Paul Tothill
Music byGabriel Yared
Production
companies
Exclusive Media Group
LD Entertainment
Distributed byRoadside Attractions
Release dates
  • September 7, 2013 (2013-09-07) (TIFF)
  • February 21, 2014 (2014-02-21) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[citation needed]
Box office$652,228[2]

In Secret (also known as Thérèse) is a 2013 American erotic thriller romance film written and directed by Charlie Stratton. Based on Émile Zola's classic 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin[3] and the 2009 stage play by the same name penned by Neal Bell, the film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Lange. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[4][5] The film received a regional release on February 21, 2014.

Plot

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In the lower echelons of Parisian society in the 1860s, Thérèse Raquin is a beautiful, sexually repressed young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, whom she was forced to marry by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin.

Thérèse spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame Raquin play dominoes with an eclectic group of acquaintances. After she meets her husband's alluring friend Laurent LeClaire, the two embark on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.

During an outing on the lake with Laurent and Therese, Camille is beaten to death by Laurent and subsequently drowns. Madame Raquin finds it difficult to come to terms with her son's death and is soon incapacitated by a stroke, but overhears Laurent and Therese speaking about what they did. With great effort, she alerts one of their friends, who informs the authorities.

To escape being sentenced for the murder, Laurent and Therese choose to take their own lives. They go down to the river and share one final kiss after drinking poison mixed with champagne, and thus they die in front of Madame Raquin.

Cast

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Production

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Filming

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On May 9, 2012, principal photography began in Belgrade, Serbia and Budapest, Hungary.[7]

Reception

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In Secret received mixed reviews. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 41% approval rating, with an average score of 5.30/10, based on reviews from 87 critics. The consensus states: "Although it benefits from a strong cast, In Secret's stars can't totally compensate for the movie's sodden pacing and overly familiar story."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[9]

Despite mixed reviews, Lange's performance has received critical acclaim. David Lee Dallas from Slant Magazine called Lange's character's "latent severity dangerous and surprising."[10] Michael O'Sullivan from The Washington Post noted that "Subtlety may not be this film's strong suit, but it certainly is Lange's."[11] Jessica Herdon of the Associated Press added that Lange "[goes] from agonized to helpless, so poignantly that your heart breaks for her."[12] Odie Henderson praised Lange on her ability to "...[find] the perfect line of lunacy to toe, which In Secret requires for her character's arc..."[13] Emma Myers from Film Comment described her ability to "[maintain] a looming presence that shifts from despicable to sympathetic and back again."[14] USA Today described her work as her "...most fully dimensional performance."[15] Variety mentioned that Lange "...relishes what becomes the most dramatically potent role."[16] Joshua Rothkopf from Time Out New York praised the chemistry between Olsen and Isaac.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "In Secret (15)". British Board of Film Classification. March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "In Secret (2014) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Principal photography commences on LD Entertainment Production 'Therese' Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton". zamm.com. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "Therese". TIFF. Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "Toronto Adds 75+ Titles To 2013 Edition". IndieWire. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Kevin P. (February 9, 2012). "Tom Felton Cast In Ghostly Romance 'Therese Raquin'". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  7. ^ "Therese Begins Filming in Hungary with Elizabeth Olsen". movieweb.com. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  8. ^ "In Secret (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "In Secret". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  10. ^ Dallas, David Lee (February 17, 2014). "Review: In Secret". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  11. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (February 20, 2014). "'In Secret' movie review: Jessica Lange's Madame Raquine steals the show". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Herndon, Jessica (February 19, 2014). "Review: 'In Secret' is a taxing tale of betrayal". Associated Press. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Henderson, Odie (February 21, 2014). "In Secret". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  14. ^ Myers, Emma (February 19, 2014). "Review: In Secret". Film Comment. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  15. ^ Puig, Claudia (February 19, 2014). "'In Secret' transforms a taboo tale into mopey melodrama". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Harvey, Dennis (September 9, 2013). "Toronto Film Review: 'Therese'". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  17. ^ Rothkopf, Joshua (February 18, 2014). "In Secret 2013". Time Out New York. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
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