IMDb > Secrets & Lies (1996)
Secrets & Lies
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Secrets & Lies (1996) More at IMDbPro »

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Secrets & Lies (1996) -- Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, who denies it; emotions run high as everyone's secrets are exposed.

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   13,680 votes
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Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Mike Leigh (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Secrets & Lies on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 October 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.
Plot:
Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, who denies it; emotions run high as everyone's secrets are exposed. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 20 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Producer Channing-Williams Dead
 (From WENN. 14 April 2009, 5:05 AM, PDT)

British Filmmakers Rebuff Hollywood
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 13 January 1998)

User Reviews:
Winning performances more (109 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Timothy Spall ... Maurice Purley
Phyllis Logan ... Monica Purley

Brenda Blethyn ... Cynthia Rose Purley

Claire Rushbrook ... Roxanne Purley
Marianne Jean-Baptiste ... Hortense Cumberbatch
Elizabeth Berrington ... Jane
Michele Austin ... Dionne
Lee Ross ... Paul

Lesley Manville ... Social Worker
Ron Cook ... Stuart
Emma Amos ... Girl with Scar
Brian Bovell ... Hortense's Brother
Trevor Laird ... Hortense's Brother
Claire Perkins ... Hortense's Sister-in-Law (as Clare Perkins)
Elias Perkins McCook ... Hortense's Nephew
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Secrets et mensonges (France)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
142 min | USA:136 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The restaurant where Cynthia and Hortense meet for lunch is "Pasta Plus Restaurant", a family-run Italian restaurant on 62 Eversholt Street, Camden, London. The restaurant is still open to the public (Monday to Saturday) and is very close to Euston station. more
Quotes:
Cynthia Purley: I wouldn't know him if he stood up in my soup! more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Happy Birthday to You more

FAQ

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37 out of 38 people found the following review useful.
Winning performances, 25 October 2004
Author: mjn1957 from Carrboro, NC, USA

This is a lovely, small film with beautiful performances by Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It is filled with comical moments that balance out some of the heavier parts of the film. My heart went out to the two lead characters as they struggled to make sense of the mutual bond unearthed by Ms. Jean-Baptiste's character. At once confused, hurt, shocked and afraid, Ms. Blethyn is completely convincing in her role. I was moved by her decision to enter into a relationship with this woman whom she had never before met. Perhaps the fact that Ms. Blethyn and Ms. Jean-Baptiste had never been introduced prior to the scene in which their two characters meet added to the realism of that moment. And Ms. Jean-Baptiste's portrayal of a woman who is surprised by her discovery and not a little disappointed was dead-on, as is her dogged determination to get what she came after.

If you are searching for a movie brimming with action, special effects, and/or blockbuster stars you need to pass this over. But if you are in the mood for a film that offers winning performances and an entertaining storyline that grows out of human interaction, this is the one you're looking for! "Secrets & Lies" is a gem of a movie!

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How Could She Not Know Patty-76
Hortence's Father lps_darlo
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