Secrets and Lies (1996)
This movie focuses on the life and struggle of one woman in finding truths in her life. After her adoptive mama passes away; Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a triumphant black eye physician, searches for her birth mother. She is surprised when her investigation leads her to a plebeian white woman, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). Initially, Cynthia denies the claim, but she finally admits to birthing Hortense as an adolescent, and the pair begins to bond. Nevertheless, when Cynthia invites Hortense to a relative’s barbecue, Cynthia's already nervous relationship with her kin becomes even more complex. The film is about the secrets that are present in an already dysfunctional family. It shows the other side of human nature. This paper will focus on various aspects of this film as discussed below.
Business Section
The film was released in 1996 with varied dates according to the location. It premiered for the first time in Cannes film festival. The film was produced by Thin Man Films and was distributed by Film Four Distributors in the UK and October Films in America. The production costs of the film were $ 4.5 million dollars. This was a relatively low budget for such a film. It went on to earn double the production cost.
It was nominated for: (Lies, et al)
Simon Channing Williams
Best Actress in a Leading RoleBrenda Blethyn
Best Actress in a Supporting RoleMarianne Jean-Baptiste
Best DirectorMike Leigh
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the ScreenMike Leigh
Golden Globes, USA 1997 (Lies, et al)
WonGolden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Brenda Blethyn
NominatedGolden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Marianne Jean-Baptiste
BAFTA Awards 1997
WonAlexander Korda Award for Best British Film by Simon Channing Williams and Mike Leigh
WonBAFTA Film Award for Best Screenplay – Original Mike Leigh and the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Breenda Blkethyn
NominatedBAFTA Film Award for the Best Film by Simon Channing Williams and Mike Leigh
Also the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role by Timothy Spall
And Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Marianne Jean-Baptiste
And David Lean Award for Direction by Mike Leigh
Screen Actors Guild Awards 1997 (Lies et al).
Nominated Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Brenda Blethyn
Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards 1998 (Lies et al).
Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera) Mike Leigh, UK
Australian Film Institute 1997
WonBest Foreign Film Award for Simon Channing Williams
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1996 (Lies et al).
WonBSFC Award for Best Actress Brenda Blethyn and Best Director Mike Leigh (Lies, et al)
Camerimage 1996
WonGolden Frog Dick Pope
Cannes Film Festival 1996 (Lies et al).
WonBest Actress Brenda Blethyn
WonPalme d'Or Mike Leigh
WonPrize of the Ecumenical Jury Mike Leigh
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1997
NominatedCFCA Award for Best Picture and Best Director Mike Leigh and Best Actress Brenda Blethyn
Chlotrudis Awards 1997 (Lies et al).
NominatedChlotrudis Award for Best Movie, Best Movie (Brenda Blethyn)
César Awards, France 1997
Nominated: Best Foreign Film
Directors Guild of America, USA 1997
NominatedDGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Mike Leigh
Empire Awards, UK 1997
WonEmpire Award for Best British Actress Brenda Blethvin
European Film Awards 1996 (Lies et al).
NominatedEuropean Film Award for Best Film
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 1997
2nd placeFFCC Award for Best Actress Brenda Blethvin
Fotogramas de Plata 1997
WonFotogramas de Plata for Best Foreign Film
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 1997 (Lies et al).
WonCritics Award for Best Foreign Film
The film went on to win more awards after this. In the box office only its sales grossed to double the production costs. This film was thus a financial success by far in the film world. It continued to earn more accolades in its time and it pushed all the cast to the limelight.
Genre Section
This film from the reviews it is seen as a Drama film. It tells of how the life of an individual unfolds. It shows us the human nature of people and the lies and the truths they hold on to. This film can be classified as a classical piece. It contains the finesse of a film maker and the story is not plagued by a lot of romance to take it as a soap opera. It delivers its plot in an orderly and understandable way.
The film avoids the bias that is associated with many black actor films that only men can help women overcome their troubles in the society. In this film we see that the main character finds her own way through life and finds her truths even though bitter (Lies et al).
It is also worthy to note that there is no drug abuse that is often associated with anguished people. It presents a logical society that tackles their problems in a sane way. It also avoids the casting of the black woman as a helpless, jobless entity that is dependable on a man only.
However, it still displays the woman as a weak being that is so emotional, in the film we see that there are instances, many whereby the main character breaks into tears, is stressed out due to her condition. The film also uses the theme of death to drive its point home and also help in the development of the plot.
AUTEUR THEORY SECTION
Secrets and Lies is much or less coarse and heart wrenching than his, Mike Leigh, previous Naked. The film we can say is very much alike the other works of Leigh. All his works are full of life teachings, are almost sad and their genre is related. He produces drama films that have a sad melancholic tinge to them.
The film perfectly fits into the director’s filmography. And from his films we can see that he is not an armature whatsoever with more than 5 films to his belt. However, before this film was produced many deemed him as green; this film was the breakthrough that was much needed.
However, on the other hand we see that this film is different from the others he had commissioned (Lies et al). This is where the armature side of the director comes in. he tries to shift from his traditional way of representing things and tries a new perspective.
PLOT, SEMIOTICS, AND STORY LANGUAGE SECTION
The plot of the movie is dependent on many things from the movie. One major symbol present is race. Race is a major plot determinant in this film. We see that the main character is black. When her adoptive mother dies she tries to find her real mother. The real mother we see is white. This helps heighten the tension present in the plot and at the same time develop on the plot. We see that even though she is accepted by her mother, the other family is however not very accommodative. There is also the symbol of hate that is represented by the ‘Green Lady’ picture that stands for hating the person who brings agony to you. This symbol is present in Cynthia’s house.
Secrets and Lies is a wonderfully constructed sappy melodrama, with not a bit of the rough edges that Mike Leigh has fought for in the past. The only ambiguity is that Leigh was supposed to come up with so typical a humanist creation after proclaiming for so long that stuff could never be so easy. One scene adds this up: Cynthia's first reunion with Hortense in a forsaken cafe around the corner away from Holborn tube at 7.30 on Saturday dusk. Mother and daughter sit down side by side, so as to be observed by the camera and catch both faces without cutting. It's a triumphant scene on its own provisions, but Leigh is no longer querying the questions that were so important to him. We get to ask ourselves questions like where in Holborn can one get a cup of tea on a Saturday evening at 7.30. Would two people who are strangers actually sit side by side than opposite each other, except they were bearing in mind the camera's expediency?
The music in the film plays a vital role in creating the mood that is present for a given occasion. For instance during the meeting of mother and daughter, somber music was played to show the uncertainty and the tense atmosphere present there. In happier scenes, there was much livelier music present (Lies et al). The language in use here was characteristic to the language from UK. The accented drawl and the excited cursing when on was on the wrong. There is the use of bitter and sad words that show the suffering of the soul with instances of comforting words for those in anguish.
The movie follows a direct sequential order that we see from the beginning. The plot develops on itself. We see that the girl searches for her real mother when the adoptive mother passes on. There is conflict in the family that comes due to the presence of a new member to the household.
In conclusion, we see that Secret and Lies movie has performed well and having a budget of less than $4 million it has exceeded its expectations winning more than twenty awards and earning more money than the initial budget. The film was kind of different to the films that were always associated with Mike Leigh. This was one of his major works ever.
Works Cited
Lies, S., Leigh, M., Leigh, M., Spall, T., Blethyn, B., & Logan, P. (2014). Secrets & Lies (1996). IMDb. Retrieved 3 December 2014, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117589/
