Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is a young, black optometrist whose adoptive parents have recently died. Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is a sad, unmarried mother who works in a factory and lives in a shabby terraced house with her confrontational daughter Roxanna (Claire Rushbrook). Cynthia's brother Maurice (Timothy Spall) is a successful photographer who lives comfortably in suburbia with his wife Monica (Phyllis Logan). In a misplaced effort to re-unite the family, Maurice & Monica throw a small barbecue party for Roxanne's 21st birthday. When Cynthia brings along her new friend Hortense, chaos ensues and some painful truths are revealed.

Product details

Director	Mike Leigh
Actor	Brenda Blethyn, Claire Rushbrook, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall
Label	CRITERION

Genre	Drama
Content	DVD
Publication date	30.03.2021
Edition	Criterion Collection
Audio	English (Dolby Digital)
Screen	16/9
Year of production	1996
Original title	Secrets and Lies 1996
Version	US Version
Region code	1

Cast & Crew

Actor

Production & Studios

Genre

Drama

Customer reviews

Die übliche Familienfassade

Written on 20. April 2005 by Switchbox.
This customer review refers to a alternative version.

Unter dem überall verbreiteten Zwang, stets superlativ positiv und souverän zu wirken, gehen einige andere Zwischenmenschlichkeiten flöten. Eingeständnisse (Schwäche, Fehler, Trauer etc.) scheinen jeweils einer anderen Welt anzugehören, was sich leider zunehmend auch auf die Leidtragenden auswirkt, zu Spannungen führt, zu Ängsten (Kritik, Ablehnung). Secrets&Lies ist zurückhaltendes, höchst anspruchvolles Kino. Timothy Spall wie immer PERFEKT, so wie auch alle anderen, vor und hinter der Kamera.