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Secrets & Lies (film)

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Secrets & Lies
British theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Leigh
Written byMike Leigh
Produced bySimon Channing Williams
Starring
CinematographyDick Pope
Edited byJon Gregory
Music byAndrew Dickson
Production
companies
Distributed byFilmFour Distributors (United Kingdom)[1]
Ciby 2000 (France)
Release dates
  • 10 May 1996 (1996-05-10) (Cannes)
  • 24 May 1996 (1996-05-24) (United Kingdom)
Running time
142 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4.5 million[2]
Box office$33-50 million[3][4]

Secrets & Lies is a 1996 drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. Led by an ensemble cast consisting of many Leigh regulars, it stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Hortense, a well-educated black middle-class London optometrist, who was adopted as a baby and has chosen to trace her family history – and discovers that her birth mother, Cynthia, played by Brenda Blethyn, is a working-class white woman with a dysfunctional family. Claire Rushbrook co-stars as Cynthia's other daughter Roxanne, while Timothy Spall and Phyllis Logan portray Cynthia's brother and sister-in-law, who have secrets of their own affecting their everyday family life.[5]

Critically acclaimed, the film won the 1996 Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, as well as the Best Actress award for Blethyn. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal. At the 50th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), the film received seven nominations, winning both Best British Film and Best Original Screenplay. It also received five Oscar nominations at the 69th Academy Awards ceremony.

Plot

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Hortense Cumberbatch, a black optometrist in London, embarks on a journey to trace her family history following the death of her adoptive mother. Despite warnings about potential challenges, she discovers her birth mother is Cynthia Purley, a white woman working in a cardboard box factory in East London. Cynthia lives with her daughter Roxanne, a street sweeper, and tensions arise in their strained relationship. Cynthia's brother Maurice, a successful photographer, lives in the suburbs with his wife Monica, who struggles with depression over her inability to have children.

Cynthia and Monica share a mutual dislike, with Monica viewing Cynthia as self-pitying and hysterical, while Cynthia sees Monica as greedy and snobbish. Maurice, caught in the middle, rarely visits Cynthia and Roxanne. However, they all anticipate celebrating Roxanne's 21st birthday. Maurice's surprise visit to Cynthia prompts an emotional breakdown, and he gives her money for house repairs, expressing a desire to host a barbecue for Roxanne's birthday.

Roxanne, unknown to Cynthia, has a boyfriend named Paul, leading to a heated argument between mother and daughter. Hortense, determined to connect with her birth mother, contacts Cynthia and eventually persuades her to meet. In a face-to-face meeting, Cynthia, unprepared for Hortense's race, denies her identity until confronted with birth documents. Cynthia, overwhelmed with shame, slowly accepts the truth, and the two begin bonding.

As Cynthia and Hortense develop a friendship, Roxanne notices her mother's newfound secrecy. Cynthia, planning to bring Hortense to Roxanne's birthday party, asks Maurice if she can bring a colleague from work. Despite reservations, Hortense agrees to attend and pose as Cynthia's friend. The party becomes tense, with passive-aggressive exchanges between Cynthia, Monica, and other guests.

In a moment of nervousness, Cynthia reveals to Roxanne that Hortense is her daughter, leading to disbelief and anger. Maurice intervenes, convincing Roxanne to listen, while Cynthia and Monica quarrel. Cynthia, berating Monica, reveals Roxanne's father was an American medical student who disappeared after a vacation encounter. Maurice defends Monica, disclosing her infertility, and urges everyone to share their pain rather than harbour resentments.

Monica breaks down, Cynthia comforts her, and the two women reconcile with a hug. Cynthia then shares Roxanne's father's disappearance, and when asked about Hortense's father, she cryptically replies, "Don't break my heart, darling." After the storm calms, Hortense visits Cynthia and Roxanne, expressing her desire for a sister. Roxanne, despite the complexities, welcomes Hortense as her half-sister.

Cast

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Production

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Principal photography began on 29 May 1995 and completed on 12 August 1995.

Development

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Leigh was inspired by "people close to [him] who have had adoption-related experiences" to make a film about adoption.[6] Speaking on the subject, he stated: "I wanted for years to make a film which explored this predicament in a fictitious way. I also wanted to make a film about the new generation of young black people who are moving on and getting away from the ghetto stereotypes. And these were jumping off points for a film which turns out to be an exploration of roots and identity."[6]

Many Leigh regulars make cameo appearances in the film, most of whom serve as clients at Maurice's job, including Peter Wight as the father in a family group, Gary McDonald as a boxer, Alison Steadman as a dog owner, Liz Smith as a cat owner, Sheila Kelley as a fertile mother, Phil Davis as a man in a suit, Anthony O'Donnell as an uneasy man, Ruth Sheen as a laughing woman, and musician Mia Soteriou as a fiancée.

Secrets and Lies was partly filmed in Whitehouse Way, Southgate, London. As in all of Leigh's films, the performances were created through months of intensive improvisation: Leigh and the individual actors created the characters at length. The emotional scene in the cafe, in which Cynthia realises that she is indeed Hortense's mother, was filmed in a single uninterrupted take of just over seven minutes. It had been a common misunderstanding that Brenda Blethyn was not told before filming that Hortense was black, making her reaction in the scene more authentic. In a supplement on the Criterion Collection release of the film in March 2021, Leigh, in conversation with Gary Yershon, clarified the method of improvisation and realisation of the scene.

Reception

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Critical reception

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Brenda Blethyn's performance received critical acclaim, earning her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, in addition to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The film was released to critical acclaim; on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 96% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10; the site's critical consensus is: "Secrets & Lies delves into social issues with delicate aplomb and across-the-board incredible acting, and stands as one of writer-director Mike Leigh's most powerful works".[7] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]

Film critic Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times gave Secrets & Lies four out of four stars. He wrote that "moment after moment, scene after scene, Secrets & Lies unfolds with the fascination of eavesdropping", and added: "[Leigh] finds a rhythm of life – not 'real life,' but real life as fashioned and shaped by all the art and skill his actors can bring to it – and slips into it, so that we are not particularly aware we're watching a film". He called the film "a flowering of his technique. It moves us on a human level, it keeps us guessing during scenes as unpredictable as life, and it shows us how ordinary people have a chance of somehow coping with their problems, which are rather ordinary, too".[9] In 2009, he added the film to his Great Movies collection.[10]

Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film Leigh's "best and most accessible work to date" and remarked that "everyone's had these family skirmishes and confrontations in their lives, and it's remarkable to see them recorded so accurately and painfully on film. Leigh's marvelous achievement is not only in capturing emotional clarity on film, but also in illustrating the ways in which families start to heal and find a certain bravery in their efforts".[11] Similarly, Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times ranked the film among the best of the 14 features Leigh had written and directed by then. He found that Secrets & Lies was "a piercingly honest, completely accessible piece of work that will go directly to the hearts of audiences who have never heard of him. If film means anything to you, if emotional truth is a quality you care about, this is an event that ought not be missed [...] Unforced, confident and completely involving, with exceptional acting aided by Dick Pope's unobtrusive camera work and John Gregory's telling editing, Secrets & Lies is filmmaking to savor".[12]

The Washington Post author Desson Howe felt that the film incorporated all the "elements of humor, sweetness, cruelty and directness" of Leigh's previous films but dubbed Secrets & Lies "more emotional, tear-inducing and compassionate than its predecessors". He declared it "an extended, multilayered revelation, and you don't get the full, complex picture until the final scene".[13] His colleague, Rita Kempley, called the film "a magnificent melodrama that draws both tears and laughter from the everyday give-and-take of seemingly ordinary souls". She noted that "Blethyn and Jean-Baptiste are a joy to behold in tandem, but Blethyn's endearing portrait is transcendent".[14]

It is listed as the 40th best British film by the BFI.[15]

Box office

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The film grossed £1.7 million ($2.8 million) in the United Kingdom.[16] It grossed $8.9 million in France[17] and $13.4 million in the United States and Canada.[18] It grossed $29 million in other international markets[17][19][better source needed] for a worldwide gross of $33–50 million.[3][4]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
AACTA Awards 1997 Best Foreign Film Simon Channing Williams Won [20]
Academy Awards 24 March 1997 Best Picture Simon Channing Williams Nominated [21]
Best Director Mike Leigh Nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role Brenda Blethyn Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Marianne Jean-Baptiste Nominated
Best Writing (Screenplay for the Screen) Mike Leigh Nominated
British Academy Film Awards 29 April 1997 Best Actor in a Leading Role Timothy Spall Nominated [22]
Best Actress in a Leading Role Brenda Blethyn Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Marianne Jean-Baptiste Nominated
Best British Film Mike Leigh
Simon Channing Williams 		Won
Best Direction Mike Leigh Nominated
Best Film Mike Leigh
Simon Channing Williams 		Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Mike Leigh Won
Boston Society of Film Critics 13 December 1996 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Won [23]
Best Director Mike Leigh Won
Cannes Film Festival 9–20 May 1996 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Won [24]
Palme d'Or Mike Leigh Won
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Mike Leigh Won
César Awards 8 February 1997 Best Foreign Film Mike Leigh Nominated [25]
Chicago Film Critics Association 10 March 1997 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Nominated [25]
Best Director Mike Leigh Nominated
Best Film — Nominated
Directors Guild of America 8 March 1997 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Picture Mike Leigh Nominated [26]
Empire Awards 5 March 1997 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Won [27]
European Film Awards 8 November 1996 Best Film Simon Channing Williams Nominated [28]
Florida Film Critics Circle 1996 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Runner-up [29]
Golden Globe Awards 19 January 1997 Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Brenda Blethyn Won [30]
Best Motion Picture – Drama — Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Marianne Jean-Baptiste Nominated
Goya Awards 25 January 1997 Best European Film Mike Leigh Won [31]
Humanitas Prize Feature Film Category Mike Leigh Won
Independent Spirit Awards 22 March 1997 Best Foreign Film Mike Leigh Won [32]
Silver Ribbon Best Foreign Director Mike Leigh Won
London Film Critics Circle 2 March 1997 Actor of the Year Timothy Spall Nominated [25]
British Actress of the Year Brenda Blethyn Won
Director of the Year Mike Leigh Won
Film of the Year — Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 1996 Best Film — Won [33]
Best Director Mike Leigh Won
Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Won
National Board of Review 9 December 1996 Best Film and Top Ten Films — Won [34]
National Society of Film Critics 5 January 1997 Best Actress Brenda Blethyn Nominated [25]
Best Director Mike Leigh Nominated
Best Film — Nominated
Satellite Awards 15 January 1997 Best Actress – Motion Picture Brenda Blethyn Nominated [35]
Best Director Mike Leigh Nominated
Best Motion Picture – Drama Simon Channing Williams Nominated
Screen Actors Guild 22 February 1997 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Brenda Blethyn Nominated [36]
Writers Guild of America 16 March 1997 Best Original Screenplay Mike Leigh Nominated [37]

Positive pickets

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This film was the subject of "positive pickets" by the adult adoptee rights organisation Bastard Nation, which used it as a vehicle to raise awareness of sealed birth records in the United States and Canada.[38]

Director Leigh and actress Blethyn met with Bastard Nation activists at a positive picket in Beverly Hills on 10 March 1997, where they were presented with Bastard Nation T-shirts.[39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "SECRETS & LIES (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 12 April 1996. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. ^ Span, Paula (28 March 1997). "How to Make a Movie With Everything But Money". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2024. Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies," one of the more honored of last year's crop of indie films, cost $4.5 million.
  3. ^ a b Dawtrey, Adam (11 May 2012). "Brits hits' top spots". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2024. only "Secrets and Lies", with $33 million worldwide, has done better for Mike Leigh.
  4. ^ a b "Director Gives History a 'Topsy-Turvy' Twist". Chicago Tribune. 1 February 2000. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024. "Secrets and Lies", did manage to make a $50 million dent in the mainstream marketplace.
  5. ^ "Secrets & Lies". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Seven Questions For Mike Leigh, Director Of 'Secrets & Lies'". IndieWire. 27 September 1996. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Secrets & Lies (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  8. ^ Secrets & Lies at Metacritic Edit this at Wikidata
  9. ^ Ebert, Roger (25 October 1996). "Secrets & Lies". Chicago Sun-Times. RogertEbert.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Secrets and Lies Movie Review (1996)". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009.
  11. ^ Guthmann, Edward (4 October 1996). "FILM REVIEW – 'Secrets & Lies' Tells the Truth". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  12. ^ Turan, Kenneth (4 October 1996). "Secrets & Lies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  13. ^ Howe, Desson (11 October 1996). "The 'Secret' of Leigh's Success". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  14. ^ Kempley, Rita (11 October 1996). "Human Right Down to the Heart". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Best 100 British films – full list". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  16. ^ "UK Top 100 Films Dec 1, 1995-Nov 29, 1996". Screen International. 24 January 1997. p. 55.
  17. ^ a b "Cannes Retrospective". Screen International. 2 May 1997. p. 24.
  18. ^ Secrets & Lies at Box Office Mojo
  19. ^ "Top 100 Worldwide B.O. Champs". Variety. 20 January 1997. p. 14.
  20. ^ "1997 Winners & Nominees". Australian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  21. ^ "69th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Film in 1997". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  23. ^ "BSFC Winners 1990s". Boston Society of Film Critics. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Secrets and Lies". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  25. ^ a b c d "Secrets & Lies (1996) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Directors Guild Says Minghella The Best". The Spokesman-Review. 11 March 1997. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Past Winners". Empire. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013.
  28. ^ "The Nominations". European Film Academy. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  29. ^ "1996 FFCC Award Winners". Florida Film Critics Circle. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Secrets and Lies". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Secretos y mentiras" (in Spanish). Goya Awards. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  32. ^ Weiner, Rex (23 March 1997). "IFP Lauds 'Fargo'". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  33. ^ King, Susan (15 December 1996). "'Secrets & Lies' Takes L.A. Film Critics Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  34. ^ "1996 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  35. ^ Mingle, Bryan (17 December 1996). "Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  36. ^ "The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  37. ^ Dutka, Elaine (17 March 1997). "'Fargo,' 'Sling Blade' Win Top Writers Guild Honors". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  38. ^ "BASTARD NATION at the Oscars". Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  39. ^ "Beverly Hills Rally". Bastard Nation. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
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