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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Mike Leigh's "Secrets and
Lies" comes to DVD to coincide with the Oscar
nomination actress Imelda Staunton received for
"Vera" another film directed by Leigh. His
uncompromising dramas frequently feature strong
performances and partially improvised scripts.
This collaborative method makes Leigh's films both
unique and memorable even when they aren't very
good. Luckily, "Secrets and Lies" is very, very
good.
A successful and well-to-do black woman Hortense
Cumberbatch (Oscar nominated Marianne
Jean-Baptiste of "Without a Trace") discovers that
her birth mother was a lower-class white woman
named Monica Purley (Brenda Blethyn, Golden Globe
winner and multiple Oscar nominee). Monica denies
that she's Hortense's mother but gradually comes
to accept and embrace her daughter despite their
differences. A bittersweet comedy full of
commanding performances, "Secrets and Lies" was a
surprising box office success (hence its
recognition by the Academy and the multiple
nominations it deservedly earned). With rewarding
performances all around and Leigh's naturalistic
style, "Secrets and Lies" was a winner whether or
not it pulled down any gold at Oscar time. Not bad
for a guy who used to play in a band with Bryan
Ferry of Roxy Music fame.
Sadly, this is a pretty bare bones affair. We get
the original theatrical trailer and the theatrical
trailers for "Author! Author!," "Blood & Wine" and
"Class Action." It's a pity as 10 years on, it
might have been interesting to catch up with the
actors and the impact that their Oscar nominations
had on their respective careers.
I guess that Leigh thought that the film should
speak for itself either that or no one at Fox
asked him to do a commentary track (or he
refused). Either way, a commentary track from
Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean Baptiste would
have been interesting.
A terrific, bittersweet comedy "Secrets and Lies"
details the ordinary secrets we keep to ourselves
and hide from each other. Leigh's marvelous
direction and the ensemble cast's terrific
performances elevate this from a simple
movie-of-the-week on something like the Lifetime
channel. Leigh's inspired approach to improvising
much of the movie's dialogue with his cast (based
on his character sketches and background story)
creates a drama that is much closer to neo-realism
in approach than just about any other film made
within the last two decades. Although Leigh's made
a number of stunning films, "Secrets and Lies"
certainly deserves its reputation as one of his
finest glimpses behind the curtain of subterfuge
that's a part of the ordinary people in this
terrific story. |
