Secrets And Lies is the very dictionary definition of "gritty British drama" - it concerns the hidden fears, guilts, and secrets of seemingly ordinary people, and features a lot of crying and some fantastic acting.
When Secrets And Lies begins we know nothing about the characters. Their pasts are slowly revealed through conversations and meetings between characters, as well as the smaller happenings and chance words, leading up to the obligatory revelation packed finale. It is these "little things" that Secrets And Lies does best - the scenes with Maurice taking photographs of a wide range of different people are far more interesting than the main story, as they give away the bare minimum of clues as to the life of these people. A couple have a minor argument, a woman talks about her accident, and then they're gone. You know nothing more about them, and it's left up to your imagination as to what happens to them next.
Actually, the film itself was largely left up to the imaginations of the lead actors. They were all told the bare minimum about their characters as well, and were left to improvise much of the dialogue. Upon knowing this, the already impressive acting seems almost superhuman (especially the first meeting between Hortense and Cynthia). However, leaving the dialogue up to actors instead of scriptwriters may explain why the end of the film becomes rather predictable, if still quite powerful.
Overall, I found Secrets And Lies to be an above average drama about, well, secrets and lies really, but nothing particularly special. However, if your own life has been affected by any of the issues involved - mainly adoption, infertility, teenage pregnancy - I have no doubt that this would be a far more moving film than it was to me.
When Secrets And Lies begins we know nothing about the characters. Their pasts are slowly revealed through conversations and meetings between characters, as well as the smaller happenings and chance words, leading up to the obligatory revelation packed finale. It is these "little things" that Secrets And Lies does best - the scenes with Maurice taking photographs of a wide range of different people are far more interesting than the main story, as they give away the bare minimum of clues as to the life of these people. A couple have a minor argument, a woman talks about her accident, and then they're gone. You know nothing more about them, and it's left up to your imagination as to what happens to them next.
Actually, the film itself was largely left up to the imaginations of the lead actors. They were all told the bare minimum about their characters as well, and were left to improvise much of the dialogue. Upon knowing this, the already impressive acting seems almost superhuman (especially the first meeting between Hortense and Cynthia). However, leaving the dialogue up to actors instead of scriptwriters may explain why the end of the film becomes rather predictable, if still quite powerful.
Overall, I found Secrets And Lies to be an above average drama about, well, secrets and lies really, but nothing particularly special. However, if your own life has been affected by any of the issues involved - mainly adoption, infertility, teenage pregnancy - I have no doubt that this would be a far more moving film than it was to me.