Secrets & Lies (1996)

Regisseur:

Mike Leigh

Drehbuchautor:

Mike Leigh (writer)

Premierendatum:

25. Oktober 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Komödie | Drama

Werbezeile:

Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.

Plot:

Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, who denies it; emotions run high as everyone's secrets are exposed.

Plot Keywords:

Brassiere | Temper Tantrum | Social Worker | Bathroom | Shovel

Filmpreise:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 18 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

Winning performances

Besetzung

Timothy Spall	...	Maurice Purley
Phyllis Logan	...	Monica Purley
Brenda Blethyn	...	Cynthia Rose Purley
Claire Rushbrook	...	Roxanne Purley
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Hortense Cumberbatch
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Jane
Michele Austin	...	Dionne
Lee Ross	...	Paul
Lesley Manville	...	Social Worker
Ron Cook	...	Stuart
Emma Amos	...	Girl with Scar
Brian Bovell	...	Hortense's Brother
Trevor Laird	...	Hortense's Brother
Claire Perkins	...	Hortense's Sister-in-Law (as Clare Perkins)
Elias Perkins McCook	...	Hortense's Nephew

Alternativ:

Secrets et mensonges (France)
Lügen & Geheimnisse (Deutschland) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Länge:

142 Min | USA:136 Min

Produktionsland:

France | UK

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (Metrocolor)

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Dolby SR

Altersfreigabe:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M (re-rating) | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Drehorte:

Holborn Underground Station, Holborn, London, England, UK

Firma:

Channel Four Films

Dies und das:

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.

Dialogzitate:

Cynthia Purley: But sweetheart, I can't be your mother!
Hortense Cumerbatch: Why not?
Cynthia Purley: Well... look at me!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in "Grosse Pointe: Secrets and Lies (#1.13)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday to You

Winning performances

This is a lovely, small film with beautiful performances by Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It is filled with comical moments that balance out some of the heavier parts of the film. My heart went out to the two lead characters as they struggled to make sense of the mutual bond unearthed by Ms. Jean-Baptiste's character. At once confused, hurt, shocked and afraid, Ms. Blethyn is completely convincing in her role. I was moved by her decision to enter into a relationship with this woman whom she had never before met. Perhaps the fact that Ms. Blethyn and Ms. Jean-Baptiste had never been introduced prior to the scene in which their two characters meet added to the realism of that moment. And Ms. Jean-Baptiste's portrayal of a woman who is surprised by her discovery and not a little disappointed was dead-on, as is her dogged determination to get what she came after.

If you are searching for a movie brimming with action, special effects, and/or blockbuster stars you need to pass this over. But if you are in the mood for a film that offers winning performances and an entertaining storyline that grows out of human interaction, this is the one you're looking for! "Secrets & Lies" is a gem of a movie!