Secrets & Lies
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: B+
Mike Leigh is known for his improvisational set-ups and
after years of feature-length films for British TV and movie houses that were
so interesting, some of those telefilms got theatrical distribution in the
U.S., he found new critical and commercial success with his 1996 Secrets
& Lies. Originally released by
the fledgling October Films, the film helped get the company sold to Universal
Pictures. Years later, Fox has the
rights and has issued it on DVD.
Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, two of the most
underrated actresses around, play a mother and daughter reuniting after mother
gave daughter up at birth. Cynthia
(Blethyn) went on to get married and have a family, but they are struggling
though life unhappy and in the lower part of England’s dark caste-like
socio-economic system. Her daughter
Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) is still living at home and unhappy, while her
brother Morris (the great Timothy Spall) is not exactly happy with life as a
photographer years later. Hortence
(Jean-Baptiste) is seen at the beginning of the film at a funeral, an event
that brings her to finding out her real birth mother (Blethyn) is not who she
thought and is still alive.
That comes as a shock to Cynthia, until she remembers how
this is true. They slowly start to
talk, but pursuing a relationship is extremely difficult. Hortence wants to know her, but that she is
black and Cynthia white throws Cynthia for a loop. At the same time, Cynthia is so unhappy and her life so
dysfunctional that she starts to slowly come around to wanting to meet her
halfway, though the old wounds and new damage it will do to her current family
is unavoidably ugly and angry. There is
no apparent racism among them at first, but other problems surface that give
more than enough credence to the title.
Having seen Leigh’s work at its most overrated (Topsy
Turvy) and the early work that put him on the map (see Water Bearer’s three
comprehensive Mike Leigh Collection sets reviewed elsewhere on this
site) from England outward, he made some good films. The reason why Secrets & Lies works is because the
casting is flawless, Leigh leaves his pretensions behind (if he knows he has
them) in a way like never before, and both Blethyn and Jean-Baptiste are
unforgettable as the lost being found.
That they pull of convincing chemistry and bringing the characters
together is an unbelievable achievement actors rarely pull off in any filmmaking. This runs 142 minutes, and every moment is
remarkable.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image was shot by
Dick Pope, B.S.C., and takes a step beyond all of Leigh previous work in how
smooth the intimacy is so much so that you forget you are watching a film at
times. Video Black is a slight problem,
but this is also a transfer with some detail and depth that makes up for
this. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds from the theatrical Dolby SR analog sound. That is not bad and Andrew Dickson score is
very effective. The only extra is four
trailers, including one for this film and one for Bob Rafelson’s underrated Blood
& Wine, long overdue on DVD.
The subtle comedy that comes out of the most sensitive of
situations is a dimension that makes this even more amazing. If you have heard of Secrets & Lies
but never seen it, this is a must to catch.
If you liked it before, you will love how well it has appreciated. It remains Leigh’s best work, though we will
look at Vera Drake down the line.
- Nicholas Sheffo
