Secrets & Lies

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Secrets & Lies

R

Released Oct 25, 1996

2h 22m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

91%

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10,000+ Ratings

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a successful black eye doctor, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to a lower-class white woman, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). At first Cynthia denies the claim, but she eventually admits to birthing Hortense as a teenager, and the two begin to bond. However, when Cynthia invites Hortense to a family barbecue, Cynthia's already tense relationship with her family becomes even more complicated.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

Secrets and Lies is a beautifully constructed sentimental melodrama, with none of the rough edges that Mike Leigh has insisted on in the past.

Nov 15, 2017

Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

Secrets & Lies is littered with scenes that begin at a fever pitch before descending into a becalmed, meditative state.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 19, 2005

Full Review

Mike Clark

USA Today

Leigh's best work yet is indisputably screen art, but it's a flesh-and-blood 'people' movie, too.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Whether it be a contemporary or a period piece, Leigh once again provides a provocative portrait on a subject that can (dis)connect the family dynamics in any area.

Mar 6, 2023

Full Review

Noël Herpe

Positif

This is exactly the challenge taken up by Leigh: bring film back to its community calling and remember that, beyond the confusion of images and identities, there are... people with pasts, sufferings, things to say, families -- and we are all part of it.

May 3, 2022

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

A benchmark for comedy dramas, this award-winning 1996 film is a bonafide masterpiece.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 4, 2022

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Alec B

Thankfully Leigh was the writer/director as this same set-up could be maudlin in less capable hands. Blethyn does give one of my absolute favorite performances here. So real that you could be mistaken for thinking it was a documentary.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

David F

This is a fantastic film about an adopted woman who seeks out her birth mother and the troubled family of her birth mother. It is tender, heartbreaking, entertaining, funny, touching, and so much more. This, truly, is cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Nathan S

Never ever watch this film, brenda blethyn spoils it with her constant booing and stupid voice!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

Full Review

Thomas B

This is a great, little known gem. The acting is great, the screenplay is well written and tight. Highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/07/25

Full Review

Marit Risto F

Made me cry. In a good way

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Dani G

Family drama that explains nothing at first, but you start putting the pieces together very easily later

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

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Mike Leigh

Director

Timothy Spall

Maurice Purley

Brenda Blethyn

Cynthia Rose Purley

Phyllis Logan

Monica Purley

Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Hortense Cumberbatch

Claire Rushbrook

Roxanne Purley

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Synopsis

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a successful black eye doctor, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to a lower-class white woman, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). At first Cynthia denies the claim, but she eventually admits to birthing Hortense as a teenager, and the two begin to bond. However, when Cynthia invites Hortense to a family barbecue, Cynthia's already tense relationship with her family becomes even more complicated.

Director: Mike Leigh
Producer: Simon Channing Williams
Screenwriter: Mike Leigh
Distributor: October Films
Production Co: Thin Man Films, Channel Four Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.4M
Runtime: 2h 22m

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