Secrets and Lies (1996)
- Starring:
- Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, (more)
- Director(s):
- Mike Leigh
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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A family is forced to confront the personal issues they've been avoiding for years in this powerful, realistic drama. Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is a working-class British woman whose life has been a long series of painful disappointments. She's single with no romantic prospects and a dead-end job at a box factory. Her daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) works as a street sweeper and is chronically bitter. Cynthia helped raise her brother, Maurice (Timothy Spall), who is doing well as a photographer, but she rarely sees him and usually blames his wife, Monica (Phyllis Logan). One day, Cynthia receives a phone call from a woman named Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who claims to be the daughter Cynthia put up for adoption years ago. Cynthia initially reacts with panic, but she agrees to meet Hortense and is surprised to discover that she's a successful and soft-spoken eye doctor -- and that she's black. Cynthia is soon convinced that Hortense is just who she claims to be, and they quickly form a friendship that gives Cynthia a new source of emotional strength. However, when Cynthia decides to introduce the family to her new "friend," it forces them to confront the lies and evasions that have kept them apart all these years. Largely improvised by director Mike Leigh and his cast, Secrets & Lies features standout work by Brenda Blethyn (who earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (who was nominated as Best Supporting Actress), and Timothy Spall. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 142 mins
Complete Cast:
- Brenda Blethyn - Cynthia
- Phyllis Logan - Monica
- Claire Rushbrook - Roxanne
- Brian Bovell - Hortense's Brother
- Lucy Sheen - Nurse
- Daniel Smith - Teenage Son
- Terence Harvey - First Bride's Father
- Richard Syms - Vicar
- Jean Ainslie - Grandmother
- Lesley Manville - Social Worker
- Alison Steadman - Dog Owner
- Philip Davis - Man in Suit
- Elizabeth Berrington - Jane
- Anthony O'Donnell - Uneasy Man
- Lee Ross - Paul
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hortense
- Timothy Spall - Maurice
- Ron Cook - Stuart
- David Neilson - Man in Suit
- Rachel Lewis - Graduate
- Linda Beckett - Pin-up Housewife
- Ruth Sheen - Laughing Woman
- Liz Smith - Cat owner
- Trevor Laird - Hortense's Brother
- Stephen Churchett - Man in Suit
- Gordon Winter - Laughing Man
- Sheila Kelley - Fertile Mother
- Peter Wight - Father in Family Group
- Peter Waddington - Man in Suit
- Annie Hayes - Mother in Family Group
- Director(s):
- Mike Leigh
- Writer(s):
- Mike Leigh
- Producer(s):
- Simon Channing-Williams
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Questionable for Children, Adult Situations, Profanity)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Actress
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Picture
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actress - Runner-up
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - National Society of Film Critics - Best Picture (Runner-up)
- 1996 - Secrets and Lies - National Society of Film Critics - Best Director (Runner-up)
